Is home-based work a future trend?

BY STEVEN KASZAB

Unfortunately, the world’s economies are moving into recession. A horrid word I know, but every decade or so it appears like an unwanted houseguest.

Will a recession bring people back into the office? After two years of working from home, if you had that safety privilege-opportunity, many of us will be invited or perhaps forced to return to the office.

A Pew Research Centre survey (2020) found that 64% of respondents polled had been working from home due to office closures due to the pandemic. By January 2022, 61% were doing it because they wanted to. Employers allowed and even encouraged working from home, while studying their employee’s progress and output.

Now we have found that we live in a job seekers marketplace, with companies offering higher wages and better perks to attract and keep potential employees. The “great resignation” of the 2020-2021 has become the “great labour slackening” where employers believe in-office workers are more productive.

The same survey found that 14% of those who have returned to the office feared losing work opportunities while at home.

The Canadian National Society of High School Scholars found 63% of their membership wanted to go back to the office, while 23% considered working from home.

A recession places most businesses in a particularly difficult situation that would not go well for their employees. Recessions traditionally bring with it cost cutting avenues, repealing benefit packages, various benefits to the employee and staff, layoffs, and terminations.

Working from home also grants employers added benefits. Employees that work half time at the office and half time at their home office can save an employer $11,000 annually, while a full time employee working from home would save them more. Working from home can save an individual as much as $4,000 – $5,000 annually.

Businesses and employees must consider what works best for them. The cost of hiring and retaining employees is very high, especially in this labour void we work in today.

A possible work from home strategy may be on its way, encouraged by: governments, environmentalists and sociologists. The possible benefits such as less stress, driving to work, health and safety issues, improved communication systems will certainly increase the likelihood that home-based work is a future trend.