The past couple of years has had a serious impact on the future of the workforce. As news outlets keep running reports on personnel shortages in a range of businesses, from executive to entry level, it's up to the companies to attract the most qualified applicants. In addition, the pandemic years have shown that employees can effectively work from home. So if employers aren't willing to support remote work in the future, companies that do will lure their staff with telework opportunities.
Remote, or telework, is about more than the convenience of not having to drive somewhere to be productive. The post-pandemic workforce is dealing with economic pressures like the rising cost of gas and transportation, food, and clothing. Removing those concerns increases the employee's take-home pay, evening the playing field for companies that cannot offer greater pay than competitors. In other words, maybe company A offers less take-home pay than company B, but company B requires a daily commute that necessitates buying gas, wardrobe upkeep, and food on the go. Even if you pack a lunch, with prices being what they are, that can be an extra $100 a week! Company A makes up the difference by cutting out all that additional cost.
According to an article published in June 2022 by Gartner, Inc, a technological research and consulting firm, remote or hybrid schedules are a trend that businesses must adopt to remain competitive. In addition, another cited trend, the well-being of employees, is also labeled as a "key metric" in keeping staff engaged with the intent to remain with the company—an employee's well-being ties in with adopting work-from-home policies.
Besides offering remote or hybrid schedules as an enticement for new hires, it is also essential to establish an even playing field for those who choose to not work from the office by creating written and adhered to policies and procedures. This year, 76% of managers say on-site employees are more likely than remote workers to be promoted. In addition, while many companies would like to diversify their staffing, women, and employees from underrepresented groups are more likely to leverage flexible or remote work. Therefore, an effort must be made to mitigate bias in hiring, keeping, and rewarding all talent.
