Remote Working Vs Back to the Office: Benefits are Clear, but There is Trouble Ahead for Some

upstart writes:

Remote working vs back to the office: Benefits are clear, but there could be trouble ahead for some:

It's clear that remote working has become a pretty popular option for many people, and some new research shows just how widespread that's become.

The latest edition of McKinsey's American Opportunity Survey queried 25,000 Americans in spring 2022 and it found that over half - 58 percent - had the option of working from home at least one day a week.

One in three said that, if they wanted, they could work from home five days a week. And when workers are given the option of remote working, 87 percent of them will take it.

"This dynamic is widespread across demographics, occupations, and geographies. The flexible working world was born of a frenzied reaction to a sudden crisis but has remained as a desirable job feature for millions. This represents a tectonic shift in where, when, and how Americans want to work and are working," the researchers said.

Unsurprisingly according to McKinsey, the "vast majority" of employed people in computer and mathematical occupations report having remote-work options, and 77 percent report being willing to work fully remotely.

The researchers noted that even those industries with lower overall work-from-home patterns "may find that the technologists they employ demand it". And once one part of the workforce is allowed to work remotely it becomes harder to say 'no' to the rest.

Still, it's not all positive news about hybrid working. After all, for most workers it's still a new model and has plenty of issues to be resolved. McKinsey's research found that those working in a flexible model were most likely to report multiple obstacles to getting things done - followed by those working fully remotely. Those working in the office were least likely to report problems.

Still, it's also clear that new ways of working aren't limited just to the US.

A new CIPD survey of 1,000 UK employers also suggests that the experience of working through the pandemic has led to a shift in attitudes.

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