Before the pandemic, remote work was not a common practice for the majority of working Americans. According to a study, approximately three-quarters of working Americans did not work remotely at all before the pandemic and only a small percentage, around 6%, primarily engaged in remote work as their main mode of employment. However, everything changed in 2020.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, companies were forced to adapt to remote work resulting in nearly half of all American employees having to work remotely full-time. This shift opened the door to alternative work arrangements and allowed workers to explore the benefits of working from home. This decision was fueled by the realization that many employees found satisfaction and flexibility in remote work. As a result, the modern workplace landscape experienced a transformative shift away from the confines of physical office spaces.
The original hope for companies was to continue to offer remote work for the foreseeable future, even after the pandemic, because studies had shown that remote work actually increased productivity levels in employees. However, recent studies have highlighted a potential decline in productivity among fully remote workers, which may have implications for the future of remote work. These studies indicate that productivity levels can decrease by 10% to 20% when employees work remotely full-time.
The original hope for companies was to continue to offer remote work for the foreseeable future, even after the pandemic, because studies had shown that remote work actually increased productivity levels in employees. However, recent studies have highlighted a potential decline in productivity among fully remote workers, which may have implications for the future of remote work. These studies indicate that productivity levels can decrease by 10% to 20% when employees work remotely full-time.
One factor contributing to this decline is the absence of non-verbal cues and spontaneous interactions that typically occur in a physical workspace, which can hinder collaboration and innovation. Furthermore, some individuals find it challenging to stay motivated and focused when working from home. These findings suggest that while remote work offers numerous benefits, it also poses certain challenges that need to be addressed to maintain optimal productivity levels.
In a recent survey conducted by ResumeBuilder, 1,000 corporate decision-makers provided valuable insights on their plans for returning to office-based work. The findings shed light on the future landscape of office environments, revealing that a resounding 90% of companies are committed to reintroducing physical office spaces by 2024. This showcases a strong desire to bring employees back into a shared workplace and highlights a shift away from fully remote work arrangements.
Additionally, among those companies that have already reintroduced in-office work, a noteworthy 72% of respondents reported experiencing positive impacts on their company’s revenue due to the implementation of return to office policies. These findings serve as a clear indication that the experiment of offering fully remote work to employees failed to deliver the anticipated results.
Learn more about the potential risks of mandatory office returns in our new blog!