Quick Quitting: The Solution is Remote and Hybrid Work, but Employers Don’t Realize It (2023)

FAQs

Do people prefer hybrid or remote work? ›

Working remotely makes the most sense if you can manage your time well, enjoy working independently, and want flexibility in your work schedule. If you prefer going to the workplace, participating in team activities, and achieving work-life satisfaction, hybrid work is what you should opt for.

You may find that the hybrid WFH model doesn't give you all the perks of working remotely, and that it limits you in some areas. On the other hand, working for a fully remote company provides more freedom, flexibility, and social opportunities.

They're afraid that the skills and knowledge that an employee would gain from working in an office will not transfer to working from home, which could lead to quality problems and mistakes being made. It's true: when you're in an office all day, you end up only interacting with the people who are there.

What is hybrid work? The hybrid remote lifestyle is different from a pure remote work style. In a pure remote company, there may be no headquarters, and team members live and work in their chosen location. However, in a hybrid company, some employees work part of the time in the same place.

Remote working ability really makes people happier

While 81% of respondents said the opportunity to work from home would make them feel more equipped to deal with work/life conflicts. Remote workers are 22% happier with their jobs than on-site workers.

An academic study on the effects of hybrid work has found that staff who work from home two days a week are significantly happier than they were working in an office full time.

In a hybrid work model, employees have more flexibility to get work done when, how, and where they're most productive. This means flexible schedules and locations. For example, some people work best early in the morning while others do better in the evening.

The greatest advantages of hybrid work to date are: improved work-life balance, more efficient use of time, control over work hours and work location, burnout mitigation, and higher productivity. Hybrid work provides the flexibility for employees to work in ways that are most effective for them.

Some of the biggest challenges of hybrid work include culture and connectedness, communication, productivity, motivation, stress management and balance.

Productivity and organization

It's difficult to stick to a schedule and get all the tasks done. But this gets even harder for remote workers. Managing your to-dos can be challenging when you work from home and have such a flexible routine and distractions. An organized schedule is critical to staying productive.

Why remote work is bad for productivity? ›

Letting employees work from home has been the fear of plenty of companies because they believe they will be less productive. This isn't entirely wrong. At home, it's easy to get distracted, procrastinate, or put in less work than those working in the office.

Bring an outline of how working from home won't impact productivity. Describe what your set up will be, how it allows you to work without being in the workplace—and take notes. If your boss remains unwilling to let you work remotely, you should go right to HR, share your notes, and make the same request.

Remote work at Amazon

We know that not everyone would like to work in the same way. With this in mind, we offer hybrid roles that offer flexibilities on work locations and when team members need to be online. In some cases, we have roles that are fully remote, where team members work at home full-time.

Fully remote companies may also spend less money on expensive spaces or in-office catering. In contrast, office work provides more structure and connection for employees. It makes separating work and home life easier, as there is physical distance between the 2.

​​​​​​​At Microsoft, we value and support flexibility as part of our hybrid workplace where every employee can do their best work by working the way they work best.

Although remote working has generally been proven to improve work-life balance and happiness, research consistently shows isolation is one of its biggest drawbacks. Over a third of those working remotely said the setup made them feel lonely, in Glassdoor's 2022 survey of people in full-time employment.

Work from home depression can happen when you feel stuck. Without career milestones like a new nameplate on your desk or a fancy corner office, you may not feel as if you're achieving as much as your peers. The anxiety, stress, and loneliness of working from home can lead to depression or make it worse.

Remote work isn't going away. A new report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows a steep dropoff in the percentage of companies allowing employees to telework. But a Stanford professor says working from home is still alive and well, despite what the government's data says.

This psychological shift and the frequent change of environment, this constant sense of never being settled and anxious is super exhausting. It makes you emotionally drained and you end up being unproductive.

44% of U.S. employees prefer a hybrid work model, compared to 51% of employers.

What percentage of people work hybrid? ›

The percentage of hybrid workers has increased from 13% at the beginning of February 2022 to 24% in May 2022. 63% of high-growth organizations employ hybrid work models. 74% of U.S. companies are using or plan to implement a permanent hybrid work model.

Hybrid work is here to stay. That's the prediction from Wharton management professor Martine Haas, who was asked to share what she thinks will be the biggest workplace trend of 2023. Although the mix of remote and in-person work can be challenging, she said, hybrid has emerged as a legacy of the COVID-19 pandemic.

A groundbreaking study by IWG reveals that hybrid workers are exercising more, sleeping longer, and eating better than ever before, resulting in a healthier workforce. This paradigm shift in work culture has profound implications for businesses aiming to promote employee wellbeing and productivity.

In a hybrid workplace, it can be difficult to form or maintain relationships with your co-workers. The distributed workforce and reduced in-person interactions may lead to poor interpersonal relationships.

Hybrid work is going to be a reality

Although fewer respondents preferred a strict in-office or at-home work model, they also made up a significant percentage of respondents (35%): 20% of respondents preferred to work fully from the office. 15% of respondents preferred working fully from home.

Comfortable and efficient work environments

Hybrid working enables employees to choose their work location. Giving employees the ability to craft their workplace schedule according to their needs and personal aeries is one of the benefits that positively affects productivity levels.

The research surveyed 597 managers and found that 51.8% of them agreed that working from home improves employee concentration, 59.5% agreed that it increases productivity, and 62.8% agreed that it increases motivation.

The major disadvantage of hybrid structure is the chance of having conflicts between corporate departments and divisions. There could be dilemmas among project managers and department managers regarding deadlines and resources. Many employees become very confused about the line of authority.

One of the biggest struggles students face in a hybrid learning environment is taking on the responsibility for their own education. Remote learning requires a significant amount of self-motivation, time management, and continued focus amid distractions students wouldn't typically experience in a physical classroom.

Why is getting a remote job so difficult? ›

Another reason why is it so hard to get a remote job is the competition. It is fierce for remote positions. It's not easy to get a remote job due to high competition. Not only do you compete against the local talent, but also against the high-quality talent applying for the same position from across the world.

Challenges facing professionals working from home include reliance on technologies, like teleconferencing and Zoom. In addition to the stress some experience from having to learn new skills, the virtual communication reduces much-needed personal contact and can contribute to anxiety and depression.

Many remote workers say that isolation from coworkers is challenging to their mental health and their productivity. Being home alone all day takes its toll even for introverts, and it's difficult to feel like you're a part of a team or larger organization when you only interact with your coworkers over video calls.

Studies have shown increased rates of depression and anxiety during remote work. Even if it's easier, there is a sense of isolation that develops when real, in-person communication is substituted with virtual interaction.

Eliminate Workspace Stressors

In contrast, working remotely generally allows for a quieter, more subdued atmosphere, reducing the likelihood of sensory overload and the associated feelings of stress and anxiety.

Encourages Collaboration

In-person work can create a robust environment for collaboration and brainstorming. While many people may be hesitant to share ideas or brainstorm virtually, they can more easily get on the same page when meeting in person.

Ask in-person, not via email

Don't spring your request on your manager in passing or even in an email. If you check-in regularly and have the time, bring it up then. If you don't, request a meeting. To avoid immediate rejection, don't say ahead of time that you want to discuss working remotely.

Workers do not have a right to work from home, so you could be fired for insisting on working from home. However, if you have a disability, like asthma, lung conditions, or a compromised immune system, you may have a right to work from home under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

The study indicates that many organizations are struggling to foster strong communication, collaboration and team bonding in these environments. As a result, some companies are pivoting back to traditional in-person work models to address these issues and enhance overall workforce engagement.

Can hybrid job be fully remote? ›

A hybrid company allows some employees to work remotely while others work on-site at the office. As we discussed in our guide on a Hybrid WFH Work Model, employees do not get to flip-flop between working from home some days and working in the office during others.

A survey report conducted by Owl labs suggests remote workers are happier and stay in their jobs longer. They also found that workers who were working at home reported being happy 22% more than workers who always work in an onsite office environment.

Consider a 2022 survey by Cisco of 28,000 full-time employees around the globe. 78% of respondents say remote and hybrid work improved their overall wellbeing.

Employees feel their time is valued, not wasted in meaningless meetings. Free to manage their day without interruptions, remote workers can dive deeply into projects. In fact, “the productivity increase among remote workers is equivalent to an extra day per person per week,” according to a study cited by Gallup.

A hybrid-remote schedule is often asynchronous, allowing an individual to choose their working hours based on when they are most productive. They can also set up and decorate an office or workspace in whatever way works best for them. And of course, a hybrid schedule allows more flexibility for traveling while working.

Dropbox

Dropbox allows for employees to transition into permanent telecommuters. Remote work became the “day-to-day default” for individual workers starting in October 2020. Their concept includes redesigning existing office spaces to be collaborative co-working spaces for use by employees as needed.

75% of employees believe they have a better work-life balance working remotely. And other common benefits cited by employees include reduced stress (57%), reduced absences (56%), improved morale (54%), and fewer sick days (50%). 62% of workers feel remote work positively affects their work engagement.

Another report by Zippia published in 2023 found that 74% of U.S. companies are using or plan to implement a permanent hybrid work model, and 44% of U.S. employees prefer a hybrid work model, compared to 51% of employers.

Much of that remote work came from hybrid setups. Last month, the survey found that 12 percent of workers were fully remote, roughly 60 percent fully in person and 28 percent hybrid. Other sources of data confirm that working-from-home patterns remain entrenched in certain industries.

Remote work is often seen as beneficial for the employee, but it can also have many benefits for the employer. Among them are higher retention levels, increased brand awareness, better communication, improved employee morale and higher productivity.

What are 3 advantages of remote working? ›

You can complete more work tasks and assignments.

And a 2021 survey of remote workers found that 6 in 10 reported they're more productive working from home than they expected to be because they don't have the commute and may be getting a better night's sleep.

Add in the lack of a commute, and remote workers typically have more time and fewer distractions, which leads to increased productivity—a huge benefit of working from home for both employees and employers alike. When done right, remote work allows employees and companies to focus on what really matters—performance.

The greatest advantages of hybrid work to date are: improved work-life balance, more efficient use of time, control over work hours and work location, burnout mitigation, and higher productivity. Hybrid work provides the flexibility for employees to work in ways that are most effective for them.

All collaborative work involves coordination, but working in hybrid teams presents significantly more coordination challenges than working face to face. The risk is that what researchers have called “faultlines” can easily emerge between those who work together in person and those who work remotely.

The benefits of hybrid work (and the disadvantages) We know employees see the value in hybrid work. A survey conducted with Wakefield Research shows that almost half of employees (47%) would likely look for another job if their employer doesn't offer a hybrid working model.

In conclusion, hybrid work policies are a long-term strategy that can help companies adapt to the changing needs of the modern workforce. By creating a more flexible and inclusive work environment, companies can attract and retain top talent, boost productivity, improve retention, and align with ESG.

In 2023, career growth for remote workers is much better perceived than in 2022. Significantly more respondents selected that career growth was easier for remote workers in 2023 (36 percent) than in 2022 at just 14 percent. Though, overall the topic of career growth is still somewhat split.

As long as Millennials are the largest workforce, remote work isn't going anywhere, so companies should be ready to adapt in 2023 and beyond. In the coming years, remote work opportunities will have to meet the demands and expectations of increasingly working Millennials.