24 Aug Why is there pushback against remote work?

Despite advantages and benefits, not all businesses are on board with remote working solutions

It is not surprising remote work solutions have surged in popularity in the past two years. Not only in response to the continuing COVID pandemic. But, also with the realization that working in a comfortable environment is wonderful. Remote workers often report a higher productive yield and satisfaction with their job thanks to remote work, and it’s easy to understand why. Low stress, quieter environments make it easier to focus, along with the comforts afforded from.

And yes, there are indeed challenges intertwined in remote working, such as mental health importance, learning new systems, communication (or lack thereof), and cybersecurity knowledge. But even with these challenges present, remote working still presents numerous advantages and benefits.

Despite that, however, remote working hasn’t been accepted at the roundtable of Silicon Valley. In fact, there’s pushback among major enterprise leads against remote working as a definitive, permanent solution.

The resistance to remote working

“Resistance” and “pushback” are strong terms, but for good reason. It isn’t that all businesses are unified against remote working. But again, remote working isn’t accepted as a permanent concept. While it’s true many enterprises and organizations intend to incorporate remote working as a concrete aspect of their production model, some only looked at remote working in a temporary sense. Specifically, as a response to COVID.

But the bigger reality is thus: remote work is greatly preferred by a modern workforce. It’s less stressful, more environmentally friendly, and has easily proven to match or exceed production in certain work environments. That is not to suggest, of course, that the office environment will go extinct. Partly because many job types will always require a physical presence. And, partly because hybrid environments also prove effective.  

Changes like this are also exacerbated by long-term problems, namely, the COVID-19 pandemic. Just as everyone looked to get back to normal, cases surged during the summer and the ugly Delta variant reared its head. With nearly two years of experiencing the benefits of remote work and adapting to the changes demanded by the concept, the modern workforce is comfortable with the solution.

Accepting remote work, not fighting it

Enterprise leaders need to contemplate the big picture. They should also understand remote work isn’t going anywhere. Workers are willing to leave their job if no remote work solution is offered in some form. Others are willing to take paycuts, to a degree.

Again, it’s not hard to understand why. Commuting to an office in an equally stressful environment is a characteristic remote workers are thrilled to drop from their routine. Considering said commutes can rob hours from a worker’s time, abandoning a needlessly stressful aspect from their job is heaven. But it’s only one benefit, integrated into the comforts and advantages of working in a home office space.

The pushback, then, arrives from an unfounded sense of distrust in the workforce. Business leads are creating scenarios where their workforce is less productive, simply because they can’t monitor said workforce every hour they step into a building. And, shocking, workers like focusing on their jobs without the sensation they’ll be reprimanded for anything “out of line.” The notion, too, that workers won’t perform their tasks because there isn’t a manager hanging over their shoulder represents a fault line between employer and owner. Do you, as an enterprise lead, really trust your workforce so little to not get the job done?

A chaotic state of affairs

Lastly, the conditions for remote work were sped up by a global pandemic. But it isn’t the only “chaotic event” taking place, and even with precautions, COVID remains a threatening presence in parts of the world and the United States.

Other factors, ranging from political decisions, weather disasters, and economic changes also create scenarios where remote working is a viable alternative to traditional solutions. We’ve entered a different “normal” post-pandemic, and the idea that the modern world will return to how things were is an erroneous assumption at best.

While the office will still remain, remote work offerings combined with hybrid models are the way of the future. Leaders will adapt, while followers remain stuck in the past.