Companies are trying to figure out what working remotely will look like long-term.
Facebook expects half of its workforce to work remotely within the next 10 years. That can mean both positives and negatives.
“We actually have the ability to diversify the workforce in a way we never really could before, because of the constraints that are around housing,” said Jennifer Stojkovic, Executive Director at sf.citi, a nonprofit organization developed to empower the San Francisco tech community to have a voice in local policy decisions.
Some of the positives include diversity, flexibility, cheaper cost of living, and work-life balance.
Many companies could end up following in the footsteps of big tech and going with a corporate head office and communal space for teams to get together.
“Right now, that getting together might look like once a week, but if these teams start to decentralize, that getting together might look like once a month the entire team flies in,” said Stojkovic.
Some workers may not work well at home.
“There are a range of taxing mental health issues arising from COVID-19 and working from home for prolonged periods of time is one of them,” said Dr. Jason Rao at Cornell University.
JPMorgan Chase just announced productivity and creativity at the company have taken a hit. Some of their employees are being required to return to offices next week.
Salary experts say you may be able to use long-term remote work as a negotiation tool if your company freed salaries or had cuts or furloughs.
Senior managers are worried about retaining top talent.
“From the get-go, we're seeing it advertised, companies that are giving us openings and reacquisitions to work on are talking about it right away,” said Paul McDonald, Senior Executive Director at Robert Half.
If you're changing jobs and starting remotely, job experts say it’s important to ask about the long-term – if the position will stay remote, be hybrid or will eventually return to the office full-time.
