It's official: Remote working is here to stay

A landmark survey shows flexible policies will endure post-pandemic, pushing companies to reshape offices for a modern workforce

- JONES LANG LASALLE

The pandemic has spurred what’s been touted as the world’s largest remote-working experiment: A huge, randomized trial testing the notion that many jobs can be performed from couches and kitchen tables.

In some ways it’s been a rousing success, with workers enjoying increased flexibility. At the same time, most people are clear that they miss the office.

While exactly how the office home balance will play out, one thing is for sure: companies and workers are unlikely to go back to the way things were.

A survey of 2,000 office workers in 10 countries showed a majority want to work remotely over two days a week on average, double from before the pandemic. And three-quarters of employees want to continue working from home on a regular basis.

This shift, experts say, hasn’t appeared out of thin air. Companies for years have mulled adapting policies to suit their modern workforce. While some firms took an early plunge, stress testing correlations between productivity and flexibility, the ongoing coronavirus crisis has pushed a broad swath of businesses to embrace home working.

“Companies of all kinds are seizing a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to change the office model and lean into workforce preferences,” says Marie Puybaraud, director of global research at JLL.