Research from the data science department at Ladders shows that a quarter of all professional jobs will be remote by the end of the year.
The facts are clear: remote work isn't going away. Understanding the how and why of this sea change can help companies turn it into an opportunity for exciting new growth.
One major factor is the prevalence of job burnout and an overwhelming employee demand for work-life balance and flexibility. The global trauma of COVID-19 has caused exhaustion, depression, and re-evaluation. An already generally overwhelmed workforce welcomed the opportunity to spend less time commuting, less time in meetings, and more time with family. Prioritising work-life balance will be a key to overall success for employers of the future.
Then there’s productivity to consider. A staggering 90% of respondents to one survey said that they felt they were more productive at home. Over 80% wanted to maintain their remote offices post-pandemic–some even said they’d take a pay cut to do so. In other words, people felt that working remotely helped them do their jobs better and feel better while they did them.
While some big banks and tech companies are still resisting the idea of permanent remote working, with one calling it a "temporary aberration", giants like Chase and Goldman Sachs have now joined the wave of employers offering flexible work from home policies. With almost a fifth of British workers quitting their jobs in 2021 and as many as half considering quitting in 2022, the statistics show that employees are waking up to their bargaining power, and employers who refuse to change risk losing staff.
According to Workhuman’s January, 2022 Human Workplace Index, 81.5% of workers are feeling more empowered to hold their bosses accountable for a better workplace in 2022–and 56% say they’ll only wait 30-60 days for their employers to make the changes they need before they consider quitting.