_{Photo by Chris Montgomery on Unsplash}

It’s hard to imagine a world now when fully remote or hybrid work is almost non-existent. The COVID-19 pandemic changed how we do our work but more importantly, it changed how we view life and the things we value most. The American Community Survey (ACS) estimates about 7.3% of the US workforce reported working from home in 2020. By 2021, ACS reported the percentage of remote workers jumped to 17.9%, and while that data is fascinating, it shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone.

Remote work has many perks and benefits employees became accustomed to during the pandemic that they have struggled to part ways with as more organizations have mandated returning to the office. The benefits of working from home range from having more time with family and friends to no longer having a commute.

With so many benefits that have a positive impact on employees’ well-being, why are so many organizations requesting that their employees return to work in the office? Well, as you might have guessed, there’s no simple answer to that question. But before we try to unpack this, let’s look at the workplace over the years and how it has evolved.

The modern workplace gets its roots from the 1960s when cubicles were first designed by Robert Propst as a way to maximize space, while still creating a sense of an independent workspace.  Propst envisioned creating a productive and creative work environment where employees had their own workstations. Ironically, Propst came to regret inventing the cubicle believing they were used to fence people in, purposes perhaps not originally intended.

As one can imagine whether you’ve worked in a cube farm before or not, as the company grows the cubicles shrink. This type of office setting became the norm in the modern American office place for decades and had pros and cons – some would likely argue more cons than pros. Here are a few:

Pros:

• Stronger peer-to-peer relationships
• Higher rates of collaboration
• Spurs innovation
• Removes communication barriers that technology can present

Cons:

• Distractions
• Commute
• Less privacy
• Cramped and boxed in space

By the 1990s, cubicles started being replaced by the open-office plan, a design meant to spur collaboration while almost eliminating privacy entirely. The open office allowed employers to continue maximizing space while saving money compared to cubicles. According to a survey by Gensler, a global architecture and design firm, by 2020 two two-thirds of US knowledge workers worked in an open-office setting. Yet, most surveys on employee preferences indicate that open-office work environments are generally not well-received much to the dismay of employers.

This is not to say that open-office plans can’t be utilized in certain spaces or perhaps even with certain teams that operate in highly collaborative environments. Employers that have started listening to employee feedback, have either added offices for private space to limit distractions, offered hybrid work, or moved away from the design entirely.

Compared to the cubicle and open-office plan designs, remote work provides convenience, flexibility, cost-savings, and, with the right technology, options for instant team collaboration. It is worth adding that by all accounts the workforce prefers remote work to in-office with some estimates like that of FlexJobs placing over 95% of the workforce wanting some form of remote work. This brings us back to our original thought, with such a large portion of the workforce wanting remote work opportunities, why are so many employers pushing to get employees back into the office?

Let’s Get Productive

The loudest argument on both sides of the aisle is over productivity. Are employees more or less productive when working from home? The remote worker will tell you they are far more productive because they do not have the distractions of a busy office and can destress easily. They can quickly message a teammate or jump on an impromptu video meeting. The employer will argue that employees spend less time working when at home due to things like a lack of self-motivation and challenges with communication, mentoring, and building culture.

We know each side of the productivity argument will have plenty of key points to support their stance, but the data and experts suggest that the reality of the situation isn’t so black and white…it’s quite gray – sorry!

A survey completed by Airtasker in 2024, found that remote workers slightly edge out their in-office counterparts in productivity for things like fewer distractions and the ability to take more frequent short breaks. But one must take this survey’s findings with a grain of salt because productivity was measured by screen time and mouse movement – if you know, you know, right? Interestingly, a study conducted in 2012 found correlations between productivity going down when hours worked from home increased – suggesting the value of hybrid work.

Culture and Well-being

Perhaps the biggest concern employers cite when asking employees to return to the office is that remote work creates a barrier to culture building and there is a hefty price tag that comes along with it. Turnover amongst companies with remote workers is double that of companies requiring in-office work. In many instances, the cost of turnover justifies the costs of bringing employees back to the office.

Without the opportunities for in-person social interactions and the camaraderie of the office, employees feel less connected and loyal to the companies they work for, making it easier for them to move on. However, there is an argument to be made that companies willing to embrace the remote workplace challenges can find ways to engage their teams even without the in-person setting.

An unintended consequence of fully remote work has been the negative impact it has had on employee well-being. Humans are an incredibly social species craving interaction, collaboration, and belonging. Yes, we know some of you reading this have fantasies of being alone on an island without another human being within thousands of miles but for how long would that be sustainable?

Remote work can create isolation and, for some, the primary link to in-person social interaction. When the link to community gets disconnected, it takes a toll on our mental well-being.

Remote workers can find ways to supplement the interaction they lose from work with more time for family and friends but there is research to suggest that is not the case for everyone. According to the Integrated Benefits Institute (IBI), a non-profit research organization, there are higher rates of anxiety and depression amongst fully remote and hybrid workers as compared to in-office workers. The research suggests that even with more opportunities to take breaks, focus on physical health, and get outdoors, the sense of belonging that in-person work brings is hard to replace.

Knowledge Gap

Remember when you started your first job, and the learning curves you experienced? Many of us became acclimated to the professional work environment by observing our colleagues or having a leader or mentor guide us. There is a knowledge gap that exists for first-time professionals both in their day-to-day jobs and the many nuances that exist in the corporate or office setting.

Onboarding becomes especially critical for the first-time professional to understand the tactical components of their job and the expectations of their team and the company.

While possible, remote work creates an added layer of complexity when trying to train a -first-time professional up to speed. Managers rely on planned meetings between them and the new employee to onboard. If the new employee is fortunate enough to have a senior employee on the team willing to loop them into projects, tasks, and processes for educational purposes their learning curve might be smaller. Whereas the in-person work setting allows for more spontaneous observation opportunities, remote work requires setting up a call, sharing screens, or inviting them to virtual meetings.

Sharpening one’s business acumen comes from experiences in the workplace. Sure, we can learn about business and how to read situations all day, but nothing prepares us or allows us to be proactive like experiencing it firsthand. Those experiences in isolation on a call or virtual meeting will not have the same impact as the many interactions in an in-person work setting. The compounding effect of these experiences in the workplace helps develop a young professional first entering the workforce.

What does the future hold?

The modern workplace will continue to evolve as employers grasp ways to increase productivity and build a strong culture, but they would be foolish to eliminate remote work. The world is watching as well-known companies begin asking their employees to return to the office, many of which were the first ones to allow remote work during and following the pandemic. So, what does this mean for the future of remote work?

The younger generations in the workforce are clear that what matters most to them will be a big change from that of the generations that came before them. To remain competitive and attract top talent, employers should offer flexibility and find ways to allow remote work from anywhere in the world. At the same time, employees should expect in-person work as well.

Hybrid work will be expanded as employers and employees alike realize the advantages of both work settings. Organizations will need to confront the reality that productivity and culture building in a hybrid model will require new strategies for performance management, education and training, and employee well-being and engagement.

We can’t help but feel that as we work through the growing pains of a shift to a more virtual world while holding onto the things that make us thrive as humans, we are on the precipice of something amazing.