The trend toward remote work is basically in the same place it was before: it's often still the best option for the best workers. Credit: Morsa Images / Getty Images I was chatting recently with a friend of mine who runs a small business when he asked if “it’s time to get people back into the office?” My reply: “Are they still working well for you from home?” “Yes, but Covid’s not that big a deal now.” “First, it’s still a big deal. Besides, ever hear of the BA.2 variant? You will.” I explained in further detail: “If it’s not broke, why fix it? Your people are good, their work’s good, what’s not to like? Let them keep working from home.” He finally agreed to let his people stay home and is getting rid of some of his office leases. But many other business owners aren’t so smart; they still want their people back into the office. Here’s the problem: they don’t want to go back — not next month, not later this year, not in 2023. Not ever. As Lars Schmidt, the founder of Amplify, an HR company, told LinkedIn, organizations that cling to the old, pre-pandemic office ways are just asking for trouble: “They’re going to struggle to hold talent. They’re going to struggle to recruit talent. They will be the poster children for the Great Resignation if they’re trying to box their employees into constructs they don’t want.” You won’t be able to easily hire someone to fill those empty jobs when they leave, either. Don’t believe me? Here’s a telling data point from ZipRecruiter: “remote” jobs receive 300% more applicants than conventional jobs in the office. It’s stopped being just an issue with tech jobs, too. Now, almost all white-collar jobs that didn’t absolutely require an in-office presence have gone remote. The IT company Ivanti recently surveyed several thousand office workers and IT professionals. Guess what it found? 87% of employees don’t want to work from the office full-time. If you insist they go back, 24% say they’ll quit first. This isn’t a one-off. Many other reports show the same thing. According to LinkedIn’s Global Talent Trends 2022 report, people want the freedom to work where and when they want and they’re ready to walk away from jobs that don’t meet that need. They’re not kidding. As Nicholas Bloom, a Stanford University economics professor, told NBC News, “the idea of a full return is dead.“ Think you can call workers’ bluff now that the Covid-19 pandemic appears to be receding? Think again. A recent Harvard Business Review study showed that while a more than 47 million Americans voluntarily quit their jobs in 2021 — a record, byt the way — the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) employment numbersshow that the great resignation wasn’t sparked by the pandemic. Instead, it was the crest of a long-term wave of people leaving jobs. Why? The authors, Joseph Fuller and William Kerr, both Harvard Business School professors, say it’s because of the Five Rs. These are retirement, relocation, reconsideration, reshuffling, and reluctance. Specifically, “workers are retiring in greater numbers, but aren’t relocating in large numbers; they’re reconsidering their work-life balance and care roles; they’re making localized switches among industries, or reshuffling, rather than exiting the labor market entirely; and, because of pandemic-related fears, they’re demonstrating a reluctance to return to in-person jobs.” One way you can push back against this trend is by not giving valued employees a reason to retire, relocate, or reconsider their jobs. In other words, if they’re happy working from home: Let them. A happy worker at home is better for you than an unhappy one walking out the door. It’s the least you can do, both for them and the future of your company. Related content analysis You're never too old to start a business Whether that's a good idea is another matter. By Steven Vaughan-Nichols Oct 10, 2023 5 mins Small and Medium Business Careers analysis Onboarding remote employees doesn't have to be hard Since not all employees return to the office, companies must onboard remote employees effectively By Steven Vaughan-Nichols Sep 12, 2023 5 mins Remote Work IT Jobs analysis The working-from-home debate gets old If your people are happy and productive doing their job from home, let them! By Steven Vaughan-Nichols Aug 08, 2023 4 mins Remote Work IT Management analysis The Windows desktop is dying But it’s not because of Macs or Linux – it's because Microsoft wants your Windows desktop to live in the cloud. By Steven Vaughan-Nichols Jul 11, 2023 4 mins Small and Medium Business Desktop PCs Desktop Linux Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe