Is WFH on the way out?!

Post lockdown, most hailed remote working as the new normal. However, 4 years later, is working from home on the way out? On the decline? Or here to stay?

In 2020, to ask a candidate to spend more than one or two days a week in an office was regarded as blasphemy. Companies lined up on your LinkedIn feed to proudly shout about how they were putting the welfare of their team first by offering all the needed flexibility around working patterns (some more genuinely than others).

We all fully committed to this so much that in 2021, there were campaigns for the working week to be reduced to a standardised 4 days. Some even introduced WFA (work from anywhere) to replace WFH policies.?

Fast forward to 2024 and while more hybrid roles are being advertised than in previous years, the vibe is different again.

In 4 years, we have moved from employers asking for an average of 1-2 days in the office to 2-3 days. But what is most interesting in recent times is the sharp increase in the demand for office working from candidates. Many of the talented people we are supporting have been in fully remote jobs for some time and are looking for more hybrid options, and many in jobs with little office time are looking for more face time with their colleagues and management teams.

This increase desire will be welcomed with open arms by many employers for a multitude of reasons.

?+ Productivity. There are many opinions put out on social media claiming WFH is more productive, but the facts are that for many roles, company data shows quite the opposite. A contentious issue, I agree!

+ Upskilling juniors. Another thing companies have realised is how hard it is to train and develop less experienced team members remotely. No matter how hard you try, coaching someone over Zoom is simply not as effective as being in the same room.

+ The magic melting pot. I think we have all recognised how much individuals and businesses profit from mixing experienced professionals with the new ideas and fresh thinking brought by graduates and young professionals. Multiple ideas and beliefs coming together all at the same time makes for amazing results.?

+ The feeling of belonging. We are social animals with pack mentality. It shows itself in the form of families, friendship groups, sports, concerts... etc. The place of work is no different. With less physical interaction with the company’s stadium (aka the office) and poor investment into upskilling managers to lead teams remotely, it’s hard to feel that sense of belonging in the same way. The consequence of this can be decreased motivation, feelings of isolation and lack of resilience. In short rather than sticking with a company through the tough times, there is less holding you back from just applying for a new job.

While all these reasons at first sight seem to only be for the benefit of the business, there is a genuine concern amongst many employers that excessive remote working is damaging people’s careers and happiness aswell as impacting on mental health. And it seems more candidates are beginning to share that opinion.

So is the solution just to go back to 2019? In my opinion, no.

Looking at the data since 2020, my prediction is that in a few years the needle will eventually settle on 3-4 days in the office with a 1 or 2 days working remotely. I also believe that there will be a bigger push on flexibility around working hours to still allow for the work/life juggling during the week that home working allows. Perhaps this gives everyone the best of both worlds… perhaps not. What do you think?

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Disclaimer:

This article has been put together looking at average trends within marketing roles, agency and in-house. This is merely us sharing what we are seeing as an overall behavioural shift in our market.

There has and always will be exceptions such as businesses which function perfectly with a fully remote model (and did so well before Covid) as well as those that love 5 days in the office. We are all different and that’s what makes the world exciting... I actually like working from home two days a week!

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