Remote work,once celebrated as a pandemic-era (疫情时代)solution,now faces challenges. Some influential figures in banking are leading the charge to phase out remote work.Major financial institutions like Goldman Sachs are returning to traditional five-day workweeks,reflecting a broader trend away from remote work.Tech leaders such as Google are also tightening control,linking attendance to performance reviews.The widespread support for remote work benefits seems to be declining as employers apply stricter policies.
Recent global surveys reveal a disconnect between employers'remote work plans and employees'desires.Employers worry about decreased productivity with remote work,citing studies showing lower efficiency compared to office-based work.Despite these concerns,employees remain firm in their preference for remote work,seeking more flexibility in their work arrangements.
Remote work's appeal lies in time saved from traveling to work and a better work-life balance. Studies show remote work saves an average of 72 minutes daily,equal to significant time savings annually.Employees feel more engaged while working remotely,valuing these benefits as much as an 8%pay increase.The shift to remote work has been solidified by the pandemic,with many workers now in part-time or fully remote setups that may be challenging to backtrack.
It is no coincidence that the crackdown on remote work is happening as some industries cool. Job cuts across Wall Street and Silicon Valley have handed power back to businesses.However,even in tech and finance some employees are standing their ground.In May Amazon said that 300 employees staged walkouts over the e-empire's return-to-work policies.
Other firms are quietly adapting with the times.Deloitte and KPMG,two professional-services giants,want to reduce their office footprint in favour of more remote work.The gap between the two sides of the work-from-home battle may yet narrow.The question is whether the bosses or the bossed will yield the most.
