Companies Forcing Employees Back to The Office

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I want to talk about employers against working from home... I have been hearing about companies forcing employees back to the office and the employees aren't feeling any of it! And I get where the employees are coming from. There's no reason why they can't continue doing their job from home like they have been. For instance...

Productivity Increase

Statistics show their productivity and performance have increased as a result, which is better for both sides.

It was the same in 2018, where 2/3 of managers reported their employees who worked from home were more productive overall. In 2019, 79% of employees who worked from home saw an increase in their productivity and focus which still rings true to this very day. 

RELATED: Balancing Remote Work and Motherhood

Mutual Gains

Now to add to that awesomeness, working from home means that...

• Employees would save more money, leading to better financial stability and ultimately greater employee retention.

• With more flexible schedules, employees would enjoy a life-work balance, consequently boosting overall attendance rates.

• By reducing overhead costs, employers unlock additional funds to reinvest in their company and accelerate growth.

So with all of this in mind, I really can't agree with companies forcing employees back to the office. Especially since recent data proves it's not necessary.

Positive Reports

There are even reports going back as far as 2005, that show the same. For example... In the U.S. alone, 1.8 million people worked from home in 2005, which grew to 3.9 million in 2018. Think about that! Millions of US citizens have been crushing it working from home since before the pandemic.

Here are even more recent reports from WFH Research that show working from home is still in demand around the globe and steadily gaining traction. As they say, the numbers don't lie!

This goes to show that David Solomon (Golden Sachs CEO) was out of touch when he called remote work an "aberration". The same goes for the CEO of Morgan Stanley who said, "If you want to get paid New York rates, you work in New York".

Currently, the minimum wage in New York City is $15/hour and $12.50/hour in New York state. There are plenty of companies that pay these rates and more to their employees who work remotely. Soooo yeah...

RELATED: 15 Work From Home Jobs With Big Companies

Financial Savings

If you're a bit more at ease after learning this, but still might be a little worried about pay cuts... It balances out because you no longer have commuting, childcare, work attire, or meal costs that are associated with brick-and-mortar jobs. Keep in mind those are all daily, weekly or monthly costs!

Don't worry about being forced to work longer hours either. Employees can only work up to 40 hours per week with possible overtime and contractors can work up to 60 hours per week. So you're good there as well.

And when you're ready to get started, the Remote Ready Workbook will point you in the right direction. You'll learn how to find real remote jobs, avoid common scams, and more.

Lastly, I want to leave you with three reassuring quotes, courtesy of SlateGroup, from people who refused to return to the office and continued working from home.

"Asked my boss if we can consider a full-time remote with maybe coming in for team meetings once a week. I was told that was impossible. Found a full-time remote gig at a $5,000 pay cut and was gone in about a month after that conversation. I'm much happier working from home and doubt I will ever return to a full-time office job"

"At the beginning of 2021, I learned that my company would have a strong preference for local employees coming back to the office. I started job hunting that week and just started a great position that's fully remote. I respect an employer's right to have employees where they want, but that comes with the employee's right to work how they want."

"My job is well paying. I love my coworkers. I enjoy the type of work I do, but I also really enjoyed working from home and they have just brought us back into the office this week and won't give any word on adding a work remote policy until September. So I got curious, started job searching and in a week found a similar job, better pay, completely remote. I gave notice last week, tomorrow is my last day. Everyone at work has been shocked that I'm leaving."

This all brings to mind a gentleman who once said "Your employer will show you 1000 ways they don't care about you." And the companies forcing employees back to the office when it's not necessary strongly speaks to that.

🤔 Would you agree? Let me know in the comments below.

And if you have to work for someone else, do it from home to secure a life-work balance because it's definitely the better option even though some are still in da Nile River, lol!