Telecommuting was an absolute lifesaver throughout the pandemic and allowed most of us to never recall the horrors of rush hour. However, as indicated in a KPMG survey that was conducted recently, that dream could be fading. An alarming 79% of corporate CEOs in the country believe that remote working will cease to exist in the next three years.Â
To the 53 percent of employed Americans that have had to get accustomed to working from home at least part of the time, this news probably isn’t something you wanted to receive — it was more like that Friday evening email from your boss you were not anticipating. As recently as last June, only 34 percent of executives surveyed believed that operations at offices would be resumed to the full. However, recent months have seen an increasing number of companies returning to the RTO policy as if the pandemic’s tide had turned.
Why Are CEOs So Confident That Remote Work Isn’t Here to Stay?
The business landscape is always unpredictable, but this much is clear—CEOs do not support the long term remote work environment. Indeed one big reason could be that the job market has become less friendly for applicants in recent years. Since the economy is not as warm or booming as before, organizations think they can turn the screw and want employees to return to work in the office. We also cannot leave those tech giants, such as Amazon, which declared it would expect workers to come back to the office five times a week starting from January.Â
But it’s not just about reoccupying the cubicles, and this is important to recognize. Furthermore, 86 per cent of these CEOs claimed that they intend to incentive employees who attend the office with better work, bonuses, and salary raises and even more promotions.Â
Smaller enterprises have something to cheer about
But if you are lucky enough to be an entrepreneur or you manage a small business organization then this is actually a window of opportunity. Whilst large corporations are pulling everyone back to their cubicles, small businesses could be positioning themselves to lure in some good talent and have them work from home. If you’re willing to allow your employees to telecommute – even if it’s just several days a week – you might attract top talent who’s sick of ‘the rat race’.Â
Meet the One Big Reason Why CEOs Can’t Stand Remote Work
As you already may know, leadership of remote employees is not always easy. As another management professional, Suzanne Lucas put it, it is just a lot more challenging to manage people you cannot see. Furthermore, there is this strange culture that the only way to work is if you are at the office.Â
But here’s the kicker: Not all of these RTO mandates are actually focused on making work happen. Other professionals have argued that return-to-office directives are simply a means for firms to reduce headcount because letting people go would be politically unpopular. It unfamiliar way to lower the head count without all the paperwork of layoffs that are involved.
What is next for remote employees?
While business and shareholders must be happy with this level of growth, this news isn’t great for employees. More still remain hopeful that remote work is not going anywhere despite the changes that have been occasioned by the coronavirus. And with the fact that at the moment more and more senior managers choose to work remotely, it is possible that this format will not completely disappear.
But if you are a person who only dreams about disruption works, if only because of traffic, this may be the best time to seek companies that offer flexi-work. And, after all, smaller businesses, and startups could be more ready to provide that kind of benefit, especially when the major competitors return to office work.
In Conclusion
Remote work might not be gone, but with lots of CEOs now insisting that their employees return to office, the tide seems to have turned. If you are an employee who enjoys working remotely, it is especially important for you to pay attention to which firms are willing to accommodate for that. And if you are a small business owner this can be the right time to get really wanted talents by offering something that you don’t have to spend money on but is invaluable to your employee.
