Employers offering long-term flex, remote work will outpace competition, according to a report by tech jobs website Dice.
For years, technologists wanted to work remotely, and some sought out employers that specifically offered this benefit.
Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, most employers did not offer formal remote and flex work policies to their employees; while some employers worried it would have an impact on productivity, others believed it would be a detriment to organizational culture, according to the report.
But Covid-19 forced most employers to mandate remote work indefinitely. Whether businesses had formalized policies, resources and infrastructure, they needed to act quickly to equip their teams with the right tools and information – and hope that productivity wouldn’t drop. What most businesses found, instead, was that productivity maintained, according to the report. At the same time, many businesses that collected employee sentiments found that their workers were largely content working out of the office.
“Given technologists’ desire for flexible and remote work options and the proven success of at-home work over many months, technologists will increasingly seek out employers that offer this type of work/life balance moving forward,” said Art Zeile, CEO of DHI Group Inc., parent company of Dice. “This is an excellent opportunity for employers to tap into pools of remote workers across the US to increase talent pipelines and diversify workforces as part of the nationwide shift toward remote work.”
Technologists noted more productivity as one of the main professional benefits of working remotely. When asked, “What the main professional benefits you receive from working remotely vs. working in an office?” their responses included:
In addition to the professional benefits of flex and remote work, technologists’ personal benefits of working remotely included commuting-related benefits at the top of the list with 80% of technologists selecting “saving money on commuting” and 67% selecting “an easier commute.” Technologists have also found benefit in more comfortable attire and more control of the environment at 67% and 54% respectively.