A Post-Pandemic Approach to Where You Work
However, as the dust settles behind the pandemic, perspectives can change. I’ve seen some clients push for a return to the office; on the other side, while many candidates are still seeking remote or hybrid working patterns, a few candidates I’ve spoken to have expressed a clear desire to return to the office full time. So what’s changed?
People are Used to Seeing Other People Again
I think over the course of the pandemic many of us tried to forget the good times spent out and about with friends as a way of coping with not seeing them. We told ourselves Zoom parties were a good substitute, we snatched coffee opportunities with one or two people, and we ignored how good large groups can be.
As someone who works from the office most days myself, I can tell you now that I missed my colleagues over lockdown. There’s a buzz in the office when things are going well, and if they ever aren’t, you have people around you who understand who can help pick you up and get you going again.
In some roles, being able to shut out the world as a remote worker may still be a better way to work. But there are jobs when being in among the team is the best way to go.
Some People Can’t Work from Home
This is a broad category. It includes both people who prefer working from the office – they get better focus, they can talk to colleagues about minor issues it’d seem silly to send an email over, their role includes some communication that’s just more difficult over the phone or the webcam – and people who just aren’t able to work from home.
That second category includes people living in places that don’t have private spaces to operate, that don’t have enough room for everyone to be in there all day, and more.
Making Use of Investments
Where a business owns its premises rather than renting, or where they’ve spent a significant amount of money on refurbishing premises, there will always be a desire to get the value out of that investment. And so long as some businesses stay remote-first or remote-only, the expenses involved in maintaining an office will drop through reduced competition for those locations.
I still talk to many clients who are hiring remote-only or remote-first roles, but the balance seems to be shifting. I’ll be very interested to see where we stand on this going into 2023…
If you have requirements to fill, whether they’re office-based, remote, or hybrid, give me a call and myself and the team will get to work.
