Remote Work: A Complicated and Evolving Concept

Just as many workers have been getting comfortable enjoying the benefits that remote work brings, employees are increasingly feeling pressure to return to the office. Numerous companies are beginning to cut back on various aspects of the hybrid work environment, either eliminating it entirely or bringing employees back into the office on a more frequent basis.

There may be several factors serving as motivation behind the change. As recession fears mount, business owners have begun placing an increased emphasis on worker productivity and many feel that the in-office experience yields better results than the work-from-home model. Additionally, many believe that it’s important to have employees face-to-face with management for improved results when mentoring and training both new and existing employees.

Adding to the push to return workers to the office is a growing awareness that innovation, creativity and collaboration are more apt to suffer when teams within their organization are apart. The general consensus among corporate management personnel is that in-person time helps build relationships and enable greater accomplishments. Some also point out that it is easier to build trust in-person and that those trusted relationships help teams work more effectively.

Although hybrid work arrangements are unlikely to entirely disappear, the degree to which employers allow workers to work from home in the future appears to be unclear. 

The Cumberland Valley Business Alliance offers its members access to My Benefit Advisor as a solution for employee benefits, including voluntary offerings. For more information about My Benefit Advisor, visit our website at cvba.mybenefitadvisor.com or contact Rob Higginbotham at (800) 377-3536.