Is remote work bad for the UK?

Over the past 2 years, we have seen a real change in expected working patterns, both from Employers and Employees. One trend does worry me, however, and that is remote working.

As a disclaimer, I am pretty flexible. I work 2/3 days in the office and even on those days I tend to work the morning at home to miss rush hour and get into the office anywhere from 11am – 1pm.

In this short article, I am particularly talking about truly remote, home-based roles. Also, as a recruiter, I love remote roles, they are much easier to recruit! But there are downsides.

The Concerns

I cannot predict the future, but I feel that if roles are truly, 100%, home based or remote… problems will slowly come to the surface over the following years and these problems need to be managed.

First off, truly remote roles do not suit Juniors. Now I am sure there is an exception to every rule, but I would argue that if a graduate wants a 100% home based role, they haven't realised the knock on effect on their development.

When you are young (career wise, age is irrelevant here!), you want to get stuck in, get involved, feel the office and learn from the people sitting next to you. Whilst we will not be advising anyone to go back to five days a week in the office, I fully believe those that are in the office more, will progress quicker.

Team fit is another area that will take a hit. A zoom coffee hour with people you rarely meet just can’t replace the bonding that a tea round or lunch run can. Sitting on your bank of desks with a regular group of people, over an extended period of time, creates bonds. I believe you will go above and beyond for people, if you care for them and their wellbeing.

Efficiency. This is double edged. Being at home with limited distractions helps with firing through a focused piece of work, but I believe collaboration and ideas will suffer in a truly remote environment.

Happiness & belonging. This is a very personal one. Some people thrive in remote roles as their life is hectic and full of social interaction as it is, some do not.

Cost. Now the big one. If the role is TRULY remote, why bother paying Birmingham wages? In a truly remote role, the only thing that matters is the skillset, service provided and the cost. With wages rising faster than ever, this truly adds fuel to the fire of offshoring. There will not even be a transition period like offshoring in the past, processes are already sorted and optimised.

We are incredibly talented in the UK and world leaders in many areas, but if history teaches you anything, countries catch up.

As an example, If your role is truly remote and you work on London wages, companies don’t even need to offshore the role to realise savings. When you inevitably move on to your next career step, the business could recruit the next employee in the North of England or Northern Ireland. Same timezone, same qualifications, same language, but qualified Accountants are significantly cheaper there.

The Benefits

There are times where roles are much better remote. These include:

Difficult and rare skillsets. As a candidate, you’re holding the Aces here and are much less likely to suffer until the talent pool increases. As a business hiring, you can tap into a much wider pool if you can offer the role remote.

Part time roles. If a role is reduced hours, cutting down on travel time benefits both parties.

Remote locations.?If your company is trading from an area with a limited talent pool (rural locations for example), then making the role remote will really help attract better talent.

Widely spread teams. If your new Accountant is going to be dealing with teams spread across EMEA, does it really matter if they work in the UK office with people they rarely need to engage with? Probably not, remote works better here!

Cost-effectiveness. For the companies that can balance all the plates that need to be kept spinning,?certain roles being remote can be a huge compliment to the wider team. No longer do you need to open a small office just to service your 3 staff in that smaller region...You can now look further afield for language speakering roles...Roles that require hours that are not the standard “9-5” can be sourced anywhere. Remote work, for hiring and business processes, does open a world of possibilities.

The solution

In most cases, the solution is Hybrid. Even one day a week In the office will mean as the employee, you are still offering real benefit, face to face, and forging relationships that are not easily replaced by someone working hundreds or possibly thousands of miles away. It is the have your cake and eat it scenario.

Do I think that in ten years' time there will be no jobs in the UK due to offshoring? Absolutely not! But do I think during the next recession Global?companies will look at their fast growing UK cost base and look for ways to trim it? Yes I do.

If the current energy and fuel prices tell us anything, we are in a global market and the UK must remain competitive. We need to stay at the forefront of emerging technologies and doing what we do best. ??