In 2020, the number of employees working from home more than tripled. Four years after the pandemic, companies are trying to decide if remote work is here to stay. Over the last few months, there’s been a push for many employees to return to the office.
Return to office (RTO) mandates stem from the belief that in-office work is more productive than being remote, but this isn’t necessarily backed with evidence. Studies on productivity and remote work vary widely depending on the industry, the employee and the management of remote teams. One of the popularly cited studies was conducted by the National Bureau of Economic Research in July of 2023, but the study itself focuses on a data entry position and measures the productivity of the employees by the number of correct data entries they made per minute — which isn’t really how most people work. While this drop in productivity might be true in the data entry field, applying it to all industries is a stretch. Each workplace is different, and there’s an endless list of factors at play shaping remote employee productivity that makes it incredibly difficult to prove or disprove this question in a controlled study.
But RTO mandates go deeper than productivity. Many organizations reference the death of company culture as a bigger reason they want employees to come back. There’s fear that employees will become disengaged from the company and that there is a certain level of connectivity and team-building that can only happen in person. From my own experiences of online school and using Zoom during the pandemic, there is an undeniable isolation and disconnect from others that comes with it. Even with intentional, team-building virtual events, the connection only goes so far.
However, RTO mandates haven’t brought back the pre-pandemic workplace. With an increasing number of employees wanting a say in the way they work, employers risk losing key talent, leading many businesses to land somewhere in between remote and in-person — the hybrid form of work. More companies are opting for a work model with a certain amount of required “in-office” days; typically three days in-person, two remote. This compromise comes after the push-back many employees had against a full five-day return to in-person work. It allows for the creation of company culture and community but tempers it with less commuting and greater flexibility for employees.
The pandemic had a lasting impact on the way we live, changing the landscape of the workplace. While remote work was a product of the pandemic, it seems its new, hybrid form is here for the foreseeable future. Offering the best of both worlds, a hybrid work environment ensures that employees get the most out of their days while also being connected to their company and coworkers. It expands the talent pool of businesses as employees can come from a larger radius while also potentially lowering costs because of the reduced office space necessary for employees. The hybrid work environment looks different for each company, but it looks as though it is here to stay.
