There’s a lot for tech professionals to like about their jobs compared to other types of professionals. Their highly specialized skills have compelled employers to provide a range of enviable benefits, including flexible schedules and remote work.
For quite some time, tech professionals have enthusiastically embraced remote and hybrid work, and this year is no exception: 73% of the tech professionals we surveyed said it is “extremely” or “very” important that their next role includes the option to work remotely at least three days a week. Understanding these remote work statistics — and the remote work trends underlying them — is critical when it comes to hiring top talent.
One important nuance here is that younger and more experienced tech professionals especially prize hybrid work, which gives them the opportunity for in-person collaboration and mentorship. Tech professionals aged 25–44 are significantly more likely than those aged 45+ to prefer working in an office 100% of the time. Tech professionals with 0–3 years of experience or 11–20 years of experience are more likely than tech professionals with 4–10 years of experience to prefer hybrid work.
Tech professionals who are mid-career appreciate the comforts and conveniences of working from home. However, they also recognize the potential cons of remote work, and companies need to recognize that when formulating a work-from-home policy.
But even with the rise of flexible schedules, our research has found notable gaps between employer remote work policies and tech professionals’ expectations. In recent quarters, many companies have abruptly pushed tech professionals to return to the office, throwing expectations (and schedules) into chaos. Amidst this return-to-office trend, tech professionals want a more collaborative approach to scheduling remote and hybrid work, and they expect continued flexibility from their managers.
Below, you’ll find the recruiting tips you need to stay ahead of these gaps and attract top tech talent. For a deeper dive into the gaps between employers and tech professionals, sentiment around remote work, return-to-office policies and four-day workweeks, check out the data we’ve assembled under those tips.
Recruiter Tips
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If your organization or your client’s organization asks tech professionals to be in the office full-time, you may be at a disadvantage in recruiting or retaining them. As you can see from the data, tech professionals place tremendous value on flexibility, both in terms of where and when they work. Look for opportunities where you can provide flexibility, even if you can’t offer as many remote options as your competition. That could mean looking at flexibility in working hours, in vacation or in other policies. In addition, consider offering coworking stipends for remote positions (this can be an add-on or in lieu of transportation stipends). Coworking stipends can also help employees establish boundaries between work and personal life while fostering in-person connections.
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Only use the term “remote” on your job postings if the position is truly remote. Yes, that will almost always get you more applies, but if the position requires coming to the office at any point, it will look like a bait and switch to the candidate — and you’re likely to not only lose that candidate, but risk them talking to others about the annoyance.
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Focus on keeping remote work’s key benefits (cost-effectiveness, productivity and flexibility) as visible and top-of-mind for candidates during the recruiting process. Although remote work remains a key benefit in and of itself, remember that you’re painting a more complete picture of what it’s like to work in these organizations, and you can do that more effectively with the opportunities that remote and hybrid work open up for candidates. You can attract candidates with organizational investments that cultivate community, such as employee engagement initiatives, mentoring programs and strong communication. For example, a company might pair a newer, younger employee with an experienced veteran who can provide them with a career roadmap and other advice. Such programs can especially appeal to younger candidates who have repeatedly said they want community and mentorship as part of their workplace experience.
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Be attentive to different career and life needs. Work closely with professionals to see if a hybrid model or a fully remote one suits them best. It’s especially important to heed the greater preference among younger and less experienced tech professionals for in-person connection and career development opportunities. Differentiate your organization by offering a hybrid structure with opportunities for in-person training, education and mentorship for newer professionals, if possible.
Benefits and Shortcomings of Remote Work
Understanding how tech professionals weigh the benefits and shortcomings of remote work gives insight into why remote work remains so important and how employers should think about hybrid work. Does the C-suite want to institute a four-day work week? What does Gen Z want from their remote work policy? And what does work-from-home data tell the company about timing a potential return to office?
Tech professionals cited three key benefits of remote work: “More cost-effective” (75%), “more productive” (70%) and “more flexibility or control of schedule/hours worked” (69%). The focus on cost effectiveness isn’t surprising: Inflation is leading to price increases across the country, and professionals can save anywhere from $2,000 to $4,600 a year on meals, shopping and other costs by working remotely.
Add that to a reduction in commutes and in-person distractions, along with the ability to design a work environment that best suits their needs, and it makes sense that tech professionals lean toward remote work as their preferred work option.
That said, tech professionals also see downsides to working from home. The three top shortcomings with remote work, as cited by survey respondents, are: “Harder to develop or maintain working relationships with colleagues” (39%), “working more hours” (31%) and “difficulty separating work from personal life” (31%).
While remote work has many benefits, building and maintaining connections across organizations and within teams can be challenging for companies. With all kinds of employees reporting greater productivity and a higher likelihood of staying with their organization when they feel engaged with their colleagues, it’s critical that employers find ways to cultivate community. And while remote work comes with benefits for mental health, making the home the primary workspace can also blur the lines between professional and personal lives, which can be a major cause of burnout and other issues.
Benefits of Remote Work
Shortcomings of Remote Work
Remote and Flexible Work by Age Group
While there are nuances (which we will get into in this section), tech professionals’ preference for remote and flexible work shows up across the board, regardless of age group. Roughly three-quarters of tech professionals said the opportunity for remote work is “very” or “extremely” important, and six in 10 of all of the tech professionals we surveyed preferred five days of remote work per week. In addition, more than half of tech professionals disagree with the idea that having a significant number of employees working remotely is a detriment to their company’s culture.
But when it comes to feelings about remote and flexible work among groups of different ages and experience, there are key distinctions. These distinctions largely align with the differing career and life priorities between age groups — for instance, whether a tech professional is early in their career or a seasoned member juggling family responsibilities at home.
As mentioned earlier, there was a greater preference among younger tech professionals (25–44 years old) for hybrid work because of the collaboration and mentoring opportunities afforded by working in-person. Moreover, tech professionals with three years or less of experience were more likely to cite “harder to develop or maintain working relationships with colleagues” as a shortcoming of remote work than those with 4–10 years of tech experience. Lacking in-person proximity may constrain opportunities for the growth and learning that occur between senior members and newer professionals.
When you factor in the hunger that newer tech professionals have for in-person community and career development experiences, it’s no wonder only 39% of the 25–34-year-old tech professionals we surveyed reported working 100% remotely compared to the 61% of 45–54-year-old professionals. And when you look at tech professionals based on their years of experience, you’ll see those with three or fewer years of experience were the least likely (35%) to say they work remotely all week.
On the flip side, older and more experienced tech professionals are more keen on remote work. Fifty-one percent of all tech professionals we surveyed said it was extremely important that their next role or organization have the opportunity to work remotely at least three days a week. This preference was the most pronounced for respondents between 45 and 54 years old, and with four to 10 years of experience (58% for both). This suggests that older and more experienced tech professionals may place a higher priority on flexibility due to family responsibilities (unique to their stage in life) that are easier to navigate when working from home.
Tech professionals with three years or less of experience were more likely to cite “harder to develop or maintain working relationships with colleagues” as a shortcoming of remote work than those with 4–10 years of tech experience.
Remote Work Policies
Nearly eight in 10 of the HR professionals we surveyed indicated they have changed office policies in the last year by adding both remote and flexible work arrangements. This is up significantly year over year.
Almost half of HR professionals cited C-suite and company leadership as the primary influence behind changing remote and flexible work arrangements, while less than one-quarter cited employee requests and feedback. This suggests many executives realize the need for remote and flexible work, and are moving preemptively to keep their tech professionals happy (plus more than a few executives and managers enjoy their own flexible schedules and remote work options).
When you keep tech professionals’ considerable preference for flexibility in mind, it makes sense that employers adjusted their remote work policies. However, there’s still a gap between tech professional expectations and the changes being made by employers. About 9 in 10 of the HR professionals we surveyed said their organization has a hybrid model, whereas well over half of tech professionals prefer to work 100% remotely.
Moreover, tech has the greatest variation in remote work policy by company size compared to any other industry. Tech companies with smaller headcounts are leading the charge with fully remote work, while Big Tech companies like Google and Apple are asking their employees to come back to the office.
Tech professionals who ranked working full-time at home as most desirable:
HR professionals who said their current remote work policy is hybrid:
Return-to-Office Trends
Although six in 10 of the tech professionals we surveyed reported being very satisfied with their current remote working status, organizations are doing the utmost to entice their employees to return to the office more often (if they aren’t already mandating it). Almost half of HR professional respondents said their organizations were offering flexible working hours (48%) and social activities with co-workers (44%) as incentives. Over a third of HR professionals reported offering increased pay (37%) and more than a quarter said volunteer activities during workdays (28%) were offered.
What incentives, if any, is your company willing to offer to get employees back to the office?
Four-Day Work Week
While the HR professionals we surveyed last year were mixed on implementing a four-day work week, nearly two thirds of the HR professionals we surveyed this year indicated that they’re likely to move to a four-day work week. This largely tracks with overall national trends. More than half of American employers offer or are planning to offer a four-day work week, and about three-quarters of employees prefer to work four, 10-hour days over five, eight-hour days.
How likely is your organization to move to a four-day work week in 2023?
The Bottom Line
As we saw with last year’s data, the remote vs. in-office debate is far from black and white, and while hybrid work provides a middle ground for some, that presents its own challenges for both employers and employees. The more that employers can find an acceptable compromise that fulfills company goals and creates an engaged culture while also listening to and making necessary accommodations based on what employees really want and need, the more likely a happy outcome for all parties.