Remote worker expectations have been changing. According to a new survey, most employees desire to work from home at least three days a week after the epidemic. Moreover, a quarter of respondents said they would consider changing jobs if their company went back to fully on-site work. Furthermore, mental health is a major concern.
According to the World Economic Forum, the world is facing a “double-disruption” scenario due to the pandemic and automation. Therefore, according to recent research, employees are worrying more about flexibility, work-life balance, and mental health as they look to their companies for assurance about the future.
After the COVID-19 outbreak ripped through people’s traditional working habits, businesses all over the world are rethinking their working arrangements and policies.
According to a recent survey, employees want to see firms place a greater emphasis on competitive compensation, flexibility, and mental well-being once the pandemic is over. Furthermore, they also voiced fears that remote worker expectations and desires would differ from those of their employers.
The following are four key topics that have arisen from research on the future of work:
Expectation #1. Maintaining a healthy work-life balance is essential.
According to a recent survey, more than half of employees prefer more flexible, hybrid virtual-working models, in which people work both remotely and on-premises at times.
According to the paper, “a hybrid strategy can help organizations make the most of talent wherever it sits.” In addition, it can strengthen organizational performance and reduce expenses at the same time.
Expectation #2. Flexibility
According to recent data, most employees desire to work from home three days a week under a hybrid model. Furthermore, if these remote worker expectations aren’t satisfied, those workers are ready to leave.
Moreover, a fifth of those polled indicated they’d consider changing jobs if their company went back to doing everything on-site. Additionally, in the future, more than half of employees would like to work from home at least three days every week.
Expectation #3. A clear vision.
Many participants said that a lack of clarity made them feel uneasy. Therefore, having solid, understood policies was one of the remote worker expectations. In addition, they were hoping that employers would convey the vision properly and adequately.
Clear hours and expectations for collaboration were among the top-five policy expectations by more than a third of respondents. Collaboration tools and reimbursement for remote work office setups got high marks as well. Furthermore, many employees require more communication and assurance in their remote work situations.
#4. Emphasis on mental health
Employee mental health is now a major issue for many employees, according to a recent survey. More than three-quarters of respondents indicate their expectations in this area.
Since the epidemic began, 50 percent of companies have seen an increase in the usage of existing business services for mental health. In addition, employee well-being resources are different since the pandemic began.
According to the survey, employers are responding. More than half reported an increase in the utilization of existing company resources for mental health.
According to other recent research, anxiety is known to reduce job satisfaction, diminish work performance, and negatively affect interpersonal connections with coworkers. Therefore, the loss of productivity due to poor mental health – especially anxiety – could be as high as $1 trillion per year for the global economy.
Conclusions
According to recent research, remote worker expectations are changing now that the pandemic is less of an issue. For most of them, maintaining a healthy work-life balance is essential to being able to continue remote work.
The flexibility of hours and workplace was also a major expectation for remote workers. Additionally, remote workers would like to see better communication and clearer goals and visions. They want to feel a part of the company’s goals and aspirations even if they are working remotely.
Finally, remote worker expectations cover mental health issues. They are looking for more and better services to help them cope with the many challenges facing remote workers today.
Indeed, the landscape of business and remote work is daily changing. Many people are unwilling to go back to the way things were before the pandemic. They enjoy their remote work lifestyle and want to see it continue. However, they also are trying to optimize their situation by asking for certain improvements and adjustments.
It remains to be seen whether or not business leaders will try to meet the expectations of their workers or look for other people to fill their positions.
Image Credit: Nataliya Vaitkevich; Pexels; Thank You!
