The number of hybrid jobs available in North America broke an all-time record this month, according to research out this week from career site Ladders. Five percent of professional jobs in North America now offer a hybrid of in-office and remote work, a more than 350% increase in the last two years. For this research, data scientists completed a comprehensive review of more than 5 million career listings on Ladders. They discovered California, Florida, Texas, New York and Massachusetts offered the most hybrid career opportunities.
What it means to HR leaders
In addition to the 5% of jobs that are now hybrid, about 20% of all professional jobs are remote—meaning that 25% of all professional North American jobs are now offered in nontraditional formats, according to Ladders.
“Hybrid work is moving at hyper speed,” says Ladders CEO Marc Cenedella. “We’ve seen more than 100 years of growth condensed into just two. It’s a revolution in the career space, and our lives will never be the same.”
Related: Here’s how leading-edge companies are redesigning for hybrid
The COVID-19 pandemic has certainly accelerated the trends of both hybrid and remote work, and nearly two years into the phenomena, as companies realize it’s working and many employees prefer the option, the pace is showing no signs of abating. But while the trend is here to stay, it doesn’t mean the work arrangements are without their challenges. Remote workers often struggle with work/life balance issues, work longer hours and get fatigued from Zoom and on-camera calls. It’s no wonder burnout is soaring among employees.
Hybrid workers may fare even worse as they navigate a combination of in-office and home work: Research last fall from TinyPulse found that employees surveyed said hybrid work was emotionally exhausting—nearly twice as emotionally exhausting as remote work.
That information means there is room for improvement in how employers approach hybrid and remote working arrangements, including making sure mental health benefits and time off are plentiful.
Equally important, says Carrie Bevis, managing director of communities at research firm Institute for Corporate Productivity (i4cp), is empathy, listening and flexibility.
“Organizations should empower managers and leaders with training and tools to help them exercise compassion, actively listen and build relationships, equitably, in both a remote and hybrid environment,” says Bevis, who will be speaking about how to help workers manage work/life balance—especially in a hybrid environment—at HRE’s upcoming Health & Benefits Leadership Conference, taking place April 5-7 in Las Vegas. Register here.
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