Ok, that was a bit clickbait-ey…
but just a bit
Lately I’ve had several conversations with work comp and health plan executives that lead me to believe office work is changed forever A recent survey of workers by Grant Thornton concluded:
- 40% will look for another job if forced to return to the office full time
- 56% are looking forward to returning to the office
- 51% would give up a salary increase for more flexibility in when and where they work
- 34% believe their manager is the most stressful part of the day
Here’s the key takeaway…
It “appears the requirement to be in the office full-time is a driving factor that is motivating record resignation. According to the survey, 79% of survey respondents say they want flexibility in when and where they work…”
And this isn’t unique to the US. Employers in India look likely to adopt a hybrid work model.
Tech and telecoms are already embracing the new model, and I’d bet the rest of us aren’t far behind. For work comp this isn’t anything new as many payers already have long had adjusters and case managers WFH (working from home). Full-service insurer Strategic Comp’s always had field-based adjusters; the carrier’s excellent performance adds serious weight to the argument for remote work.
Then there is quality of life.
You’re an adjuster for a major payer in California. Your commute is over an hour, traffic is awful, you have kids at home, and childcare is darn near impossible to find. You’ve been working remotely for over a year. Your performance is solid, your finances are in the best shape they’ve been in years, and the thought of getting back in the car and listening to the Morning Zoo makes you break out in a cold sweat.
oh, and your employer is desperately short of adjusters and case managers and can’t afford to lose you.
What does this mean for you?
Don’t invest in commercial office buildings.
Yep, the pandemic showed the value of WFH. I have worked from home for years and love it.
Employers should focus on distributed employee models and work on productivity, diversity and inclusion on their teams. Most of us have had some job where we have had to commute – my worst was a minimum of two hours a day but sometimes three or more with traffic issues. That time comes from either personal life or productivity time. I can tell you I was not normally enthusiastic about jumping back into e-mail after sitting in two hours of traffic to get home.