In the face of inflation and business concerns about a possible economic downturn, the outlook for flexible working has become a little more uncertain in recent months. According to a recent report by A.Team and MassChallenge, 55% of technology leaders plan to ask their staff to work more from their desks in the next 12 months. Additionally, 53% of executives believe that an economic downturn “would make it easier for employees to return to the office.”
As hiring slows and job cuts loom, some employers may well take the opportunity to reverse – or at least limit – telecommuting. No doubt many executives will be watching how big tech companies react to the situation. Apple, for example, has laid off a number of recruiters and plans to curb hiring next year to help it weather an uncertain economic climate. Meta, Microsoft and Google have also announced plans to slow down hiring, and the four tech giants have taken steps to get their employees back to work more regularly in recent months.
Asking employees to return to the office in response to financial uncertainty feels more like a return to what feels familiar than a practical way to meet the challenges ahead. While this may help leaders regain control of the business and run it more rigorously, it is not necessarily going to help improve productivity or engagement. Data from the ONS (Office of National Statistics UK) indicates that 78% of employees who telecommute in some way report a better work-life balance.
A painful arbitration to come?
Telecommuters could also choose to return to the office if telecommuting becomes significantly more expensive. In the UK, for example, energy bills are rising rapidly. Utility bills are already rising due to working from home, and as winter approaches, many employees will be forced to choose between expensive heating bills, a cold house, or a daily commute.
Whether or not employees will save money by working from their desks five days a week is another question. Commuting can be expensive, and if parents suddenly have to think about childcare, working from home may still be the most cost-effective option. In any case, it will add up to a complex balance exercise.
For their part, leaders must consider the impact of their decisions in times of economic uncertainty on employees. Bills may rise, but wages still lag. It’s true that leaders need to run a business and think about the bottom line, but if they force a return to the office that puts staff in financial trouble, that won’t solve any of the problems they’re trying to solve.
No matter what the coming months bring, it will be hard to turn back the clock when it comes to hybrid working. Recessions can have the effect of freezing people in their tracks or encouraging businesses to return to what seems safe to them. But what worked before may not work in the future, and companies need to think about what they could lose by going back to the old ways of working.
Source: ZDNet.com