Technology professionals have fully embraced remote work and now strongly prefer it, even in comparison to a hybrid workplace setting.
Sixty percent of tech professionals ranked 100% remote work as their most desired workplace setting compared to 53% in 2021. Beyond that, nearly 90% of respondents indicated the opportunity to work remotely is important to their decision to join another organization.
Regardless of your current work setup/setting, how desirable is working in the following settings?
Regardless of your current work setup/setting, how desirable is working in the following settings?
How important is the opportunity to work remotely at least three days per week in choosing your next role/organization?
Benefits and Shortcomings of Remote Work
How technology professionals rank the benefits of remote work gives us insight into why remote work has become so important to them. “More cost effective” (76%) and “more flexibility/schedule control” (69%) were respondents’ most commonly indicated remote work benefits. “More cost effective” (up 17%) and “healthier for my lifestyle” (up 28%) both increased significantly from the last time we asked tech professionals this question. FlexJobs has reported that the average remote worker could save $6,000 a year or more with the reduction of commuting costs, wardrobe additions, eating out and more — and considering rising inflation and an uncertain market, it’s no wonder cost effectiveness is top of mind for tech professionals.
Which, if any, of the following do you consider to be benefits to working remotely vs. working in an office?
Which, if any, of the following do you consider to be benefits to working remotely vs. working in an office?
Though technology professionals prefer remote work, they do still recognize shortcomings. “Hinders working relationships with colleagues” has steadily increased its lead as a main concern since 2020 and responses for “hinders working relationships with my boss” also increased from 24% in 2021 to 28% in the latest survey data.
Which, if any, of the following do you consider to be shortcomings to working remotely vs. working in an office?
Which, if any, of the following do you consider to be shortcomings to working remotely vs. working in an office?
Not every tech professional necessarily wants to work remotely. A recent survey by The Muse showed that many recent grads wanted to head back to the office for mentorship and camaraderie, for example. What tech professionals ultimately prize is flexibility in determining their schedules; it’s not just about where they work, but when as well.
Managers everywhere realize they’re in a battle for top talent, and retention is top-of-mind for companies everywhere. If you want a flexible schedule or even all-remote work, you have leverage to negotiate, but be prepared for some potential give-and-take; for instance, your manager may want you to come into the office three days per week instead of two.
Like anything else, you will prioritize how important fully remote or hybrid work is to you, and how it stacks up with the rest of the pros and cons of working with an organization. The results of that analysis will help you understand whether you should try to adjust your current environment or look for a new position.
Remote and Flexible Work by Age Group
Remote work is equally important to all age groups now. At least 80% of respondents indicated remote work is somewhat, very or extremely important across all age groups and more than half of respondents across all age groups indicated a preference for 100% remote work (five days of remote work per week).
There were, however, some distinctions between age groups when it came to perceived benefits and shortcomings. Many of the distinctions align with life stages each age group might be in currently — whether they have kids at home or their living space, for instance.
Technology professionals between 45 and 54 years old indicated “fewer distractions” as a benefit of remote work more than any other age group while those in younger age groups (25-34 and 35-44) responded more readily to “no defined workspace” as a shortcoming of remote work. These results align with the likelihood that tech professionals in the 45-54 age group may not have kids at home and those in the 25-44 age groups could be living in smaller spaces like apartments that do not allow for a dedicated work-from-home setup.
While tech professionals 25-34 years old experienced the greatest increase in preference for 100% remote work, growing from 46% in 2021 to 58% in 2022, they were also more likely to cite “lack of career development/easier to get overlooked” as a shortcoming to working outside an office.
Which, if any, of the following do you consider to be benefits to working remotely vs. working in an office?
Click the different tabs to view results by age group.
Click the different tabs to view results by age group.
Which, if any, of the following do you consider to be benefits to working remotely vs. working in an office?
Which, if any, of the following do you consider to be shortcomings to working remotely vs. working in an office?
Which, if any, of the following do you consider to be shortcomings to working remotely vs. working in an office?
Tech professionals who are working remotely and feeling overlooked can take concrete steps to boost their visibility and secure the schedule and benefits they need.
The key element, as with so many things, is communication. Arrange a series of 1:1s with your manager. Use the first meeting to outline your current responsibilities, as well as how you’ve performed in the role. If you’ve exceeded expectations, you’ll have the leverage to get what you need for further career development.
From there, use these manager meetings to demonstrate what you’re doing, and ask for help if you encounter obstacles. This visibility will ensure your needs and concerns are being met, even if you’re working full-time remote.
You can also use these manager meetings to ask for benefits that will enhance your career. Education and training (including certifications) should top your list, as keeping your skills and certifications up-to-date is always important, and likely to pay dividends either immediately or down the road. If you want more responsibilities, such as a new project or line of business, you can use these meetings to prove to your manager that you can juggle the added workload, even remotely.
Remote Work Policies
More than two-thirds of employers surveyed indicated they have changed office policies in the last year by adding both remote and flexible work arrangements. Reasons for making changes were evenly split between employee requests/feedback, C-suite/leadership and industry trends. It makes sense that employers adjusted remote work policies to accommodate needs of their employees and trends in the labor market, but that doesn’t mean they are fully embracing 100% remote work as a standard policy.
Has your organization changed its office policies on remote and/or flexible work arrangements in the past year?
What primarily influenced the decision to change remote/flexible work arrangements?
Has your organization changed its office policies on remote and/or flexible work arrangements in the past year?
What primarily influenced the decision to change remote/flexible work arrangements?
Return-to-Office Trends
Despite this strengthening of preference for 100% remote work, organizations are doing their best to entice employees to return to the office even for just a few days each week (if they aren’t mandating it). Almost 70% of employers surveyed are focusing future plans on a hybrid work environment and are offering incentives to employees to return to the office on a regular basis. The problem is the incentives employers are currently offering don’t align with what technology professionals want most.
Monetary incentive tops the list of things tech professionals indicate employers could offer for them to consider returning to the office at least three days per week, followed by flexible work hours. However, with 8 in 10 tech professionals indicating that they are satisfied with their current remote work status, even these incentives will have to be extra appealing.
Gap in incentives technology professionals want and employers are offering
Some companies are dedicated to having tech professionals return to the office for at least a few days per week. For example, Tesla CEO Elon Musk has made it clear he expects employees back at their office desks full-time. Meanwhile, other companies are designating certain days per week (i.e., Tuesdays and Wednesdays) as “office days.”
For tech professionals who don’t like their current workplace’s back-to-the-office mandates, many companies continue to offer all-remote positions. Current trends suggest that remote work is here to stay for a sizable percentage of tech workers, especially as companies realize the savings that come with not needing to maintain sizable office footprints.
But if you don’t want to find another job, and you don’t like your employer’s office plans, things can become a little bit trickier. Open a line of communication with your manager and see if there’s wiggle room. You might not be able to get everything you want, but your manager might meet you halfway (for example, you may have to return to the office only one day per week instead of three).
Even if you lose some flexibility, your company might be willing to give you a raise or other benefits in exchange for returning to the office more often... but you may need to voice that idea for it to happen.
4-Day Work Week
While nearly 6 in 10 employers have discussed moving to a four-day work week, according to our survey, the likelihood of actually implementing a four-day work week in 2023 is a mixed bag with 33% not likely to switch, 30% somewhat likely to switch and 38% very or extremely likely to move to a four-day work week in 2023.