Remember the pandemic? Silly question. Everyone does.
What everyone might not remember is what things were like pre-pandemic. For example, pre-2020, it was fairly rare for a whole family to say “Let’s do a video call tonight!” We wouldn’t have expected all the households to have all the parts — internet, camera, know-how — who was going to tell the grands how to download the app?
Now video calls are a daily routine in some homes. Also a matter of routine now are online grocery shopping, touchless menus in restaurants, and virtual classrooms, all of which shot up in usage during the pandemic.
For American workers, perhaps nothing made more of a lasting impact on the landscape than the sudden ability to work from home. Just a few years ago, remote work was considered a perk or (ahem) a remote possibility.
In the spring of 2020, as we all recall, that situation changed nearly overnight. According to Statista.com, the United States went from just 8% of full- and part-time employees working completely remote in 2019 to 70% a year later. Note that clicking that link might bring up a paywall.
That was followed, of course, by declines in that percentage as the nation regained confidence in personal contact. But even with the steady descent from the peak, the number stands at 27% today, or three times higher than the percentage of those working remotely than just five years ago.
The numbers for hybrid workers follow a similar pattern, with 32% working occasionally from home in 2019, and 54% doing so now.
More than the numbers have changed. Expectations also changed. Now workers expect this option to be available, and job search patterns have adjusted accordingly. Those wishing to work fully remote are able to shop the entire country for their next job, rather than mapping out the commute before applying.
As we start our fifth year in this “brave new world” of working from home, it’s a good time to ask how things are going. What began as a necessity in 2020 is settling into a choice, for both workers and companies. Is it still the right one?
If you are one of the hybrid or remote workers captured in these statistics — or if you would like to be — the following points are worth pondering.
Advantages of remote work
Following are the most commonly cited pluses associated with working in a remote or hybrid capacity. If these aren’t true for you, can something be adjusted to ensure you’re benefitting more fully?
• Schedule flexibility. For some workers, this means being able to log out to volunteer at the kids’ school, then working later in the evening to catch up. Others enjoy choosing which days to come into the workplace and which ones to work from home.
• Location flexibility. If you’re truly remote, then it really doesn’t matter where you park your laptop. Some workers leverage the opportunity to combine work and travel while others never leave the living room.
• Hassle-free mornings and fewer expenses. Packing a lunch, ironing a shirt, gassing up the car — these tasks are firmly in the rearview mirror for some workers. Also fading in the distance: The costs associated with lunches, commuting and wardrobe updates.
Disadvantages of remote work
Every coin has two sides and that includes remote and hybrid work. If these disadvantages are piling up, it may be time to renegotiate or even consider a shift back to the workplace.
• Loss of boundaries. If you’re “always on” you may not be gaining as much as you think from this situation. Being always on indicates you may be working more hours than you’re paid for, and losing personal time in the bargain.
• Loss of personal space. At first it was an adventure to fit the little Ikea desk into the corner of the dining room. After four years, it may feel more intrusive than adventuresome to look over your guests’ shoulders at your workspace while hosting gatherings. It may also be costing more than you thought, if your electric or internet bills have bumped up during this time.
• Potential loss of promotion. There’s still a concern, backed up by statistics in some cases, that remote workers are slower to receive promotions than their on-site counterparts. That might not happen in fully-remote companies, but a decrease in mentorship and training can still befall remote workers.
When you review these lists, and add your own input as well, you may find areas for adjustment. If so, there’s no time like the present. The sooner you make improvements, the sooner you can benefit more fully from our ongoing work-from-home evolution.
Amy Lindgren owns a career consulting firm in St. Paul. She can be reached at [email protected].
