Is the remote work revolution losing steam?
That’s a critical question for technologists everywhere, many of whom got used to working from their home offices over the past few years. However, a sizable percentage of managers and executives want technologists back in the office; for example, in a new study by Fiverr, 33 percent of managers said they wanted workers to return to their old desks.
At larger companies (i.e., those with more than 500 employees), some 67 percent of managers wanted employees back in the office five days per week. What’s behind this drive? Many managers seem to think employees are “more motivated when they know they are being watched by upper management” and they’re also more likely to take “shorter breaks.”
Meanwhile, CompTIA’s monthly jobs report suggests that remote-work opportunities are declining yet again for key technology professional positions such as software developer and IT support specialist, although to the total number of remote-work jobs remains significant:
Despite the trends suggested by this data, managers who want technology professionals back in the office might have a struggle on their hands. The latest edition of Stack Overflow’s annual Developer Salary crunched data from 58,958 respondents worldwide and found that around 42 percent were already fully remote; another 42 percent were hybrid; and 14 percent were fully in-office. “Smaller organizations are most likely to be in-person, with 20 percent of 2-19 employee organizations in-person,” that report added. “The largest organizations, with 10k employees, are most likely to be hybrid.”
And given the demand for technology professionals’ talents, managers who try to rescind remote or hybrid work options may face a significant retention issue. A recent survey by McKinsey & Company, showed flexible work arrangements as just behind better pay and career opportunities when it came to motivation for seeking a new job (that survey was based off responses by 25,000 respondents). As long as tech unemployment stays low (and demand for tech talent stays high), technology professionals have plenty of leverage to get the flexible schedule they desire.
