Remote Work: Will It Continue in 2023?

Working from home surged during the pandemic when workers gained leverage for themselves during a tight labor market. With recession worries growing, power may shift back to employers, who may pull back on letting employees work remotely. Gallup projects that about 75% of remote-capable workers will be hybrid or fully remote in the long term. Here are the top reasons why experts say remote work will continue in 2023. One, allowing remote work is crucial for retention. In a tight labor market, many companies can’t afford to lose talent as quit rates remain above pre-pandemic levels. Hybrid work has boosted employee satisfaction and productivity. Two, remote work opens recruiting to a bigger geographic area and a larger talent pool, a major advantage for specialized roles where qualified candidates are hard to find.  Three, a recession might accelerate the trend toward remote work because it can reduce the need for office space and help companies cut costs.  Four, there are risks to reversing remote work policies, and executives risk damaging their reputations. The case in point: Elon Musk ending Twitter’s remote work mode and so many employees opting for severance instead that he had to coax some staff back.