Instead of Killing Remote Work, You Should Make It More Flexible

Since it was—somewhat by necessity—implemented by many businesses a few years ago, many of these same businesses have been quick to abandon remote and hybrid approaches to work. If you are considering this return, we implore you to reconsider—in fact, we’d urge you to lean into further expanding the capabilities of remote and hybrid workers.

There are some reasons for this.

First, Consider the Signs that Remote Work is Being Fazed Back Out

We can look at a few signs for the indication that many businesses are walking back their remote work policies in an attempt to fully return to in-house operations. First of all, many businesses never really committed to remote work in the first place.

Let me ask you this—if remote work was something that any of your team members’ roles could still be fulfilled through, was the option open to them? Naturally, different roles and different industries make remote work more or less feasible, but that being said, some businesses are withdrawing these capabilities. Some people were never given the opportunity to try remote work for themselves.

Secondly, and on a related note, even big technology companies that initially heralded remote work for its many benefits are walking back, citing cultural issues and a lack of visibility for the shift. So, behind the scenes, the biggest proponents of remote work are also withdrawing their support.

Again, we cannot express strongly enough that pulling back from remote operations is not something we would—or could—ever recommend.

Why You Should Continue Leaning Into Remote and Hybrid Work Practices

The widespread adoption of remote work that businesses of all kinds needed to follow in order to remain open and operational during the pandemic changed this approach to work on a very foundational level. Rather than being the last-ditch approach for work, reserved for people who could only work part-time and needed to be home for other responsibilities, remote work was proven to be a viable option. In many cases, preventing the organization that used it from suffering nearly as much as otherwise.

Increasing the flexibility of the workplace not only provides younger generations with the kind of work environment they actively want to participate in, it is often cited as the reason for productivity increases. Pairing that with the fact that the commute is eliminated, and it almost seems like a no-brainer to use these alternative work approaches, if only for the benefit of your staff.

SCW can help you implement the technology and processes that enable remote and hybrid work approaches. Give us a call at (509) 534-1530 to learn more.