While more than 155,000 civil servants in Canada are on strike over, among other things, their right to work from home, the struggle between blue-collar workers and white-collar workers to get them back to the office continues to rage on. After a period of intensely competitive talent markets, emerging economic conditions are empowering employers again. Many large employers like Twitter, DisneyAnd Starbucks have seized the opportunity to try to force a return to the office. But the workers don’t want that.
Why are these companies waging a war over where to work? Because they see it as an advantage. Much like free lunches, hefty signup bonuses, and extravagant offsites, for these executives, working remotely is just a benefit they can take back in times of economic hardship. But the strike in Canada shows that remote work runs deeper – for employees and companies.
I have worked at two fully remote companies including the one I currently run. For both, remote work has never been an advantage that could be taken away. It is fundamental how the business is run. It’s a significant difference that impacts infrastructure, hiring practices, culture and the bottom line. While workers enjoy the flexibility, companies benefit even more.
Remote-first businesses are better prepared to face any economic condition. From a purely cost perspective, a global workforce may give up properties in cities like San Francisco, London and New York. Operating in large technology centers requires expensive office space, much of which remains unused even when employees are called into the office a few days a week.
Instead, budget can be spent recruiting the best of the best, regardless of where they work. Location-independent hiring is the best way for a company to succeed. The talent pool is becoming much broader, which is especially important for filling the high-demand, highly technical positions that are critical to the success of any business. It brings in more people with broader backgrounds and experiences, especially talented people who are interested in working for an innovative world-class company but may not have the means or desire to work in a major commercial hub.
The best talents want to work for future-oriented companies. Current research out LinkedIn Show’s remote positions account for only 15% of offers but receive an outsized 50% of applications submitted. The top prospects will always find companies with flexible working arrangements and the vision that goes with it.
On a cultural level, it’s hard to overstate the impact of remote infrastructure. A global, remote workforce requires asynchronous working. If everyone already works in different time zones, employees can adjust their working hours in a way that suits them best. It means less wasted time in meetings and not only more productivity, but also more family meals, afternoon runs, getting enough sleep or picking up the kids from school.
Probably because of these lifestyle advantages, remote and hybrid workers tend to be easier to please. remote control Research shows that over 80% of these employees are satisfied with their benefits, compared to just 60% of employees. They value remote work above all else and are more willing to discount the magnitude of the overall benefits in favor of location flexibility — knowing that working remotely reflects deeper values than just skipping the commute.
After the recent spate of mandates, we have yet to see how many actually have teeth. Only 3% of companies said they would actively enforce their policies by dismissing an offender. For those who stay, staff may just wait until the market feels safer to make a switch: over 60% of Americans would quit their job for a remote opportunity.
When workers are concerned about job security, leaders feel safe rolling back remote work policies without much resistance. They should consider what they might be missing.
Ultimately, the market will backfire in favor of workers – and the same companies that are now promoting the office may offer flexible work again. But without a real commitment to remote work as a business decision, these companies will get caught in the bargaining cycle. By the time they figure it out, wiser employers will have reaped the rewards.
Job van der Voort is co-founder and CEO of Remote.
The opinions expressed in Fortune.com comments are solely the views of their authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and beliefs of wealth.
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