CEO at Topia, the leader in Global Talent Mobility.
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After two full years, the reality has finally set in: Remote work is the way of the future, and it’s time for companies to get on board.
The problem is that despite having a full two years to adapt, many organizations still haven’t fully and properly embraced it. Instead, they’ve begrudgingly acquiesced to employee demands. Sure, they might technically have a remote work policy, but is it one built on flexibility and employee experience? Or on eliminating compliance risks and operational hassle?
We've witnessed the transformation in employee attitudes around flexible and remote work from being a nice-to-have perk to the most sought-after benefit employees want from an employer. This year, the results couldn’t be clearer: Flexibility is not just a desire—it could become an ultimatum.
As I’ve said many times, implementing a strong, employee-centric remote work policy is a smart talent strategy. But this year it’s now a necessity for companies to make remote work a key part of their overall business strategy if they’re ever going to survive the Great Resignation and thrive in the future. Here’s why:
1. Employees are giving you no choice.
Demand for flexibility is higher than ever. My company Topia’s annual Adapt Survey has chronicled the remote work sentiment over the last three years, and this year we found that 94% of employees surveyed said they should be able to work from anywhere as long as they get their work done. Not only that, but 96% ranked flexibility in working arrangements as a primary factor in choosing a new employer. And if they don’t get the flexibility they want, they’re not afraid to look elsewhere. In fact, businesses that aren't offering this flexibility could miss out on up to 70% of job seekers.
With roughly 23% of workers already planning to resign in 2022, and the Great Resignation continuing to thrive, don’t let a lackluster remote work policy be the reason.
2. Forcing a full-time return to the office is out of the question.
We heard from employees loud and clear that, despite widespread vaccine availability and waning Covid-19 concerns, most don’t intend to return to the office full time anytime soon. That means taking a heavy-handed approach by forcing employees back to the office is extremely risky. In fact, 55% of workers said they would look for a new job if forced to return to the office. Can you afford to lose that much talent?
3. It’s essential for maintaining compliance.
Knowing where your employees are working—whether at home or another location—is a must for mitigating legal and tax risks. Sometimes you may have no choice but to impose limitations on the locations or length of stay for remote work requests. However, making those parameters part of your policy will be essential for setting clear expectations.
Despite overwhelming confidence among HR professionals that employees would self-report their work locations, we found that 40% of HR leaders found employees relocating outside their state or country without reporting it to their employer.
Establishing a strong policy gives you a foundation on which to set the rules and parameters for remote work to protect your company from compliance risk. Consider adopting location tracking technology to support your efforts.
4. It’s a chance for your company to shine.
Despite many companies having remote work policies in place, we're seeing many employees feel like the policy is there simply to make it easier for the business to reject their requests. When it comes to having employees in the office, 52% of employees want permanent remote work options, but only 13% of employers are prepared to offer this. As employees become frustrated by the lack of remote opportunities, it opens the door for your company to offer a robust, flexible policy as a strong differentiator. Now is the time to embrace remote work, to develop and promote an employee-centric, flexible policy that attracts new talent.
5. Remote work delivers results.
While it might seem like the impetus for remote work policies centers entirely around lowering risk—preventing turnover, tax penalties and legal woes—the reality is there are some powerful, proven business benefits to flexible work arrangements. In fact, working from home can actually increase productivity by 5%.
In addition, we found that 43% said remote work has enabled them to hire a more diverse group of employees, which we already know fuels greater innovation and profitability. So, while it might seem like offering flexible work is all about making employees happy, every business leader knows that doing so has a direct and measurable impact on business KPIs as well.
For employees, the flexibility to work from anywhere is now the No. 1 driver of an exceptional employee experience—a critical factor in keeping employees happy, motivated and loyal. That means now more than ever, companies must be proactive in establishing clear and employee-centric remote work policies that provide the flexibility and freedom to work everywhere.
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