What Will Happen with Telecommuting After COVID-19? - American Society of Employers - Kevin Marrs

EverythingPeople this week!

EverythingPeople gives valuable insight into the developments both inside and outside the HR position.

Latest Articles

What Will Happen with Telecommuting After COVID-19?

telecommutingASE’s 2018 Workplace Flexibility Survey, published in early 2019, noted that over 60% of organizations offered telecommuting for their staff (62%).  But there was a big catch – telecommuting arrangements were generally reserved for a select few. According to our data, telecommuting was largely granted to employees based on managers discretion (79%) or based on the position (59%).  The impact of those restrictions resulted in fewer than a third of employees participating in telecommuting work.

Fast forward a year, and the world has changed drastically.  In late March, when the State of Michigan announced its “Stay Safe, Stay Home” order prohibiting in-person work not required to sustain or protect life, employers took quick action to facilitate remote work and sustain operations. Technology likely facilitated this shift.  Instead of the water cooler or conference room, we now Zoom and Slack our way through the workday.  Employers should be commended for this quick shift.  According to the Pew Research Center, a self-described nonpartisan fact tank, 90% of the decrease in employment in the early stages of the outbreaks were in positions that could not be teleworked.  Had this pandemic struck even five years ago, the job losses we have witnessed over the last several weeks may have been much greater.

Questions are now growing among employees and employers alike.  What will happen when social distancing is no longer required?  Will employees be forced to leave their bathrobes behind and don their business attire once again?  In an April 6th article, The Brookings Institute argues that we may see a more permanent shift toward telecommuting.  They argue that the technology investments and cultural shifts will overcome previous obstacles that stood in the way of telecommuting.  Obstacles that employers have now been forced to overcome.

There is evidence that employers see a silver lining in this remote work.  A Gartner, Inc. survey of 317 CFOs and finance leaders on March 30, 2020 revealed that nearly a quarter of respondents would move at least 20% of their on-site employees to permanent remote positions. Why?  There could be considerable savings by managing a larger remote workforce when you consider the cost of office space among other cost savings.

Despite the apparent benefits of increased telecommuting, challenges remain.  The Brookings article cites examples of companies that demonstrated increases in productivity but were quick to point out that those successful telecommuting experiments took preparation and were in environments where performance was based on clear measurable outputs.  Employers who jump into telecommuting without a plan may find themselves ill prepared for the outcome.  They will have created an expectation that is difficult to reverse without the sense that something is being taken away.

It is true that employers now find themselves more connected to their remote staff during this pandemic than they might normally be?  Daily huddles during the pandemic have quickly become the norm, but will that be sustained? 

This new norm, if it is to be sustained, will require careful consideration and planning.  More importantly, it will require ongoing calibration.  Remote work may be working for many employees, but it may be too soon to say it has succeeded as a new way to work.  That will take more time to determine.

 

Additional ASE Resources
Virtual Work Resources - For helpful information on virtual work please visit the ASE Virtual Work Resources webpage.

Workplace Flexibility Survey - ASE members can view the full results the ASE Workplace Flexibility Survey in their Member Dashboard.

COVID-19 Return-to-Work Preparations Survey
- The results of ASE's COVID-19  Return-to-Work Preparations Survey can be viewed here.

 

Sources:

https://www.brookings.edu/blog/up-front/2020/04/06/telecommuting-will-likely-continue-long-after-the-pandemic/

https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/05/06/telework-may-save-u-s-jobs-in-covid-19-downturn-especially-among-college-graduates/

Filter:

Filter by Authors

Position your organization to THRIVE.

Become a Member Today