The Ongoing Battle Between Working Remotely and Returning to the Office

Since employees started returning to the office after getting a taste of remote work, there has been an ongoing war between employers wishing a return to normalcy and the employees who prefer to get their work done from the comforts of their own home. A new survey indicates that half of employees would rather quit than deal with an employer who mandates a return to the office environment.

The survey, by Microsoft, indicates that employees would rather quit than return to the office full-time, showcasing a need for employers to at least consider hybrid options. This survey was conducted from October 7th, 2021 through October 15th, 2021, and it surveyed 2,046 employees and 504 HR decision makers in the United Kingdom.

Whether or not these employees would actually quit is up for debate, but the fact remains that they feel strongly enough to answer a survey question in this fashion. Thus, it is your responsibility as a business owner to take these feelings into consideration when planning your business model. Failing to do so might cost you talent in the long term, which could potentially be devastating to your workforce. While you can solve some problems via outsourcing, in the end, isn’t this the same as allowing your employees to work in a hybrid or remote setting?

Here are some other statistics related to the study that you might find interesting:

• 36 percent of UK workers hired during the COVID-19 pandemic have never set foot in the office.
• 42 percent report that they have had trouble building relationships with their colleagues.
• 33 percent lack direction from their managers or supervisors.
• 24 percent claim that they have had trouble learning new skills and software.
• 23 percent fail to earn the confidence of their coworkers.
• 21 percent are not feeling the company culture.
• 36 percent of HR managers reported having difficulty with training new employees.
• 35 percent are confident that their employees have access to the appropriate information.

Some of this might sound complicated, but it’s simply something that business owners need to work to understand and adapt to. Luckily, the technology-end isn’t any more complicated than having internal IT.

Whether or not your organization chooses to provide hybrid or remote work options is your organization’s business, and it is a decision that should only be made after careful consideration of where your organization currently stands in terms of technological capabilities and operations. If you are unsure if your organization could stand to go with a hybrid or remote workplace model, we can help you make that assessment and/or assist with the implementation of technologies that would facilitate this process.

Don’t let a hesitancy to embrace remote or hybrid work sink your big plans for the future. Get started today by contacting Macro Systems at 703-359-9211.