The post pandemic world of work

It’s been nearly four years since the COVID-19 pandemic induced possibly the single biggest disruption in human history. As we enter 2024, workers and employees are still trying to figure out what the future of work will look like.

A return to the office might mean angering your workforce that has grown comfortable working from home. Remaining remote might mean losing out on the productivity and camaraderie that comes with life at the office. And does a hybrid model live up to being the best of both worlds?

Below are five charts on the state of remote work, return to the office, and the future of remote work.

1. Remote work is down, but still here. Levels of remote work have declined slightly as we’ve exited the pandemic but have been relatively stable over the past three years. We’ve also seen a slight rise in hybrid work situations. Remote work isn’t where it once was, but it looks like it’s here to stay. A change in behavior that stuck.
2. Comfortable where they are. Workers that work from home prefer working from home. Workers that work in the workplace prefer working at the workplace. Workers have gravitated to the working arrangement they prefer the most. If you’re wondering whether your workforce is open to a change of scenery – at this point, probably not.
3. Remote work isn’t an option for everybody. Higher paid and higher educated workers are the most likely to say they are working fully or partially remote. When we’re talking about remote work in 2024 and going forward, we’re mostly talking about a luxury for the higher paid and higher educated working class. A tale of two Americans—one affluent and one not.
4. Why return to the office? The most-cited reason executives use to justify a return to office is an increase in productivity. But there isn’t a strong consensus here – improving workplace culture and collaboration also rank as top reasons. Do the reasons executives give align with those of workers? Not really.
5. Remote work can be a perk. Roughly half of small businesses say offering hybrid or remote work environments is in their 2024 plans to attract new talent, roughly at the same levels as increases in pay and paid sick leave. In 2024, remote work is a draw, not a thorn. Flexible working hours? All the better.

We’re long past the era where remote work was a necessity. Since then, workers have seemed to find working arrangements that suit them best personally. Similarly, businesses still plan to offer remote or hybrid work situations as an employee perk.

It’s been a few years since the start of the remote work experiment. Remote work hasn’t become the dominant norm, but is it here to stay? Looks like it.