Trendspotting: Younger Workers Embrace Telecommuting

NewsWire: 8/31/21

• A generation gap has emerged over post-pandemic work arrangements, with young people the most enthusiastic about remote work. As companies continue reopening offices, they’re finding that they may need to offer more flexibility. (The New York Times)
• NH: More and more companies have announced office reopening plans in the coming months. But they’re running into resistance, particularly from younger employees.
• In a recent survey by The Conference Board, 55% of Millennials (ages 25-40) said they had doubts about returning to the office. Among Gen Xers (ages 41-56), 45% said the same. Only 36% of Boomers (ages 57-75) agreed.
• In June, we wrote about the growing tensions between execs eager to get back to the office and workers who were less than enthused. (See “The Looming Battle Over Remote Work.”) At this point, with return-to-work deadlines impending, managers and employees are basically locked in a game of chicken. In another survey, just 8% of HR and C-suite leaders said they expect employees to quit once pandemic restrictions are lifted. But among younger workers, 49% say they’d be willing to quit if their employer did not allow remote work (compared to 39% of all employees).
• In recent weeks, an increasing number of businesses have moved to address Covid-related discomfort among workers reluctant to return to the office. With the Pfizer vaccine now FDA-approved, vaccination mandates have surged. Yet while these moves might reassure some employees, the pandemic isn't the primary reason people want to keep working remotely.
• In a survey from workplace management company Hubble HQ, 79% of respondents said that the best part of working from home was the lack of a commute. Other common reasons were saving money (55%), more time with loved ones (42%), and improved focus/productivity (28%). The preference for telecommuting is more than just a pandemic-driven fad. Having experimented for a year with an alternative to the office, people unexpectedly found something else that works better. 
• This issue is far from settled. As of mid-August, only about 31% of U.S. office workers are back at their buildings at all, according to an analysis of 10 major U.S. cities from security company Kastle Systems. With the delta variant raging, a handful of companies have announced they’re delaying their return-to-office plans to 2022, which guarantees that the telecommuting debate will still be with us next year.