{"id":9342,"date":"2022-05-13T11:54:29","date_gmt":"2022-05-13T15:54:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kerryhannon.com\/?p=9342"},"modified":"2022-05-13T11:55:00","modified_gmt":"2022-05-13T15:55:00","slug":"wheres-the-boss","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kerryhannon.com\/?p=9342","title":{"rendered":"Where’s the boss?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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As more workers head back to the office, they\u2019re finding that their boss isn\u2019t in.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Non-executive employees are nearly twice as likely as executives to be working from the office five days a week, according to a recent report<\/a> by Future Forum, a consortium launched by Slack with founding partners Boston Consulting Group, MillerKnoll and Management Leadership for Tomorrow (MLT) to help companies navigate the digital-first workplace.<\/p>\n

The findings come as many corporate executives urge employees to come back to the office, while many workers seek greater flexibility.<\/p>\n

Read on Yahoo Money<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

“If these numbers are accurate, I find this to be a disappointing trend,” Lindsey Pollak,<\/a> workplace expert and author of “Recalculating: Navigate Your Career Through the Changing World of Work” told Yahoo Money. “Many leaders say they want employees in the office to build company culture, and executives need to remember they are a critical part of that culture.”<\/p>\n

The report is based on a survey of more than 10,000 knowledge workers in the U.S., Australia, France, Germany, Japan and the U.K. Knowledge workers were defined as employed full-time (30 or more hours per week) and either having one of the roles listed below or saying they \u201cwork with data, analyze information, or think creatively, \u201cexecutive or senior management, manager, senior staff or a skilled officer worker such as an analyst or graphic designer.<\/p>\n

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The survey didn’t delve into why executives aren’t returning to the office at the same rate as regular employees, several workplace experts offered their theories.<\/p>\n

“Executives are more likely to have the ability to work remotely over employees because they are more senior and their job is less likely to require in-person interactions,” Dan Schawbel, managing partner of Workplace Intelligence<\/a>, told Yahoo Money.<\/p>\n

Pollack had a less generous explanation.<\/p>\n

“The most likely answer is that they feel they can play by a different set of rules than their employees,” Pollak said. “That feels like a recipe for disgruntled employees, which is one of the reasons we are in the midst of a ‘great resignation.'”<\/p>\n

In fact, back-to-the-office policies are taking a toll on workers, according to the survey. More than a third (34%) of workers back in the office full-time said work-related stress and anxiety hit the worst level since 2020, according to the survey.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe data shows that inflexible \u2018return to office\u2019 policies are to blame, contributing to worse work-life balance and dramatic growth in work-related stress and anxiety for these employees,\u201d Brian Elliott, <\/strong>executive leader of Future Forum, told Yahoo Money. \u201cPeople have spent the last two years proving they can be just as productive working outside the office.\u201d<\/p>\n

More than 9 out of 10 knowledge workers (94%) said they want schedule flexibility (compared with 79% who want location flexibility) \u2014 yet nearly two-thirds (65%) say that they personally have little to no ability to adjust their work hours, outside of the occasional doctor\u2019s appointment, the report found.<\/p>\n

Moreover, those who are disgruntled with their level of flexibility \u2014 both in where and when they work\u2014are now three times as likely to look for a new job in the coming year.<\/p>\n

\u201cFlexibility isn\u2019t just where<\/em> employees work, it\u2019s also when<\/em>,\u201d Elliott said. \u201cOur research shows that schedule flexibility is critical to engaging and retaining talent \u2026 In the era of the Great Resignation, this could have dire implications for employers,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Given that employers are still grappling with workers hitting the exits at a brisk pace, this is worth considering. In March, 4.5 million people quit their jobs, up from 4.35 million people, or 2.9% of workers, in February, according to the Labor Department\u2019s latest Job Openings and Labor Turnover report.<\/a><\/p>\n

Executives are eager to \u2018get back to normal\u2019<\/strong><\/h2>\n

It\u2019s not that these workers never <\/em>want to return to the office.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe vast majority of people want to gather together in-person again for part of the time, but they want it to be for a specific reason \u2014 a project kickoff or team-building \u2014 and on a rhythm that works for their team,\u201d Elliott said. \u201cMany executives are eager to get \u2018back to normal,\u2019 but in their rush back to the office, they\u2019re overlooking the significant benefits that have come with flexibility and risking serious attrition.\u201d<\/p>\n

This \u201csense of agency\u201d over one\u2019s life and work crosses all workers, Megan Gerhardt, <\/strong>a professor of management at Miami University’s Farmer School of Business in Ohio and author of Gentelligence: The Revolutionary Approach to Leading an Intergeneration Workforce<\/a>, told Yahoo Money.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery employee, regardless of age or generation, needs autonomy and agency over how and where they will work,\u201d she said. \u201cThey want to be trusted to make those decisions based on their life stage, career stage, and priorities. Those will differ across generations, but the need to be respected enough to choose for themselves will not.\u201d<\/p>\n

Flexible work for all is gaining traction<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The potentially good news is that these findings come as an increasing number of employers are choosing to offer more flexible work options for their employees.<\/p>\n

Last week, Airbnb<\/a>, for example, announced that employees can work remotely forever. Other companies transitioning to part-time and permanent remote arrangements include Allstate, Facebook, REI, Slack, and Zillow.<\/p>\n

The quickening shift to permanent remote work now means that over 20 million professional jobs will not be going back to the office<\/a> after COVID, according to data scientists from the Ladders who track remote data from North America\u2019s largest 50,000 employers.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe learned our employees want more choice about where they work, so we gave them more flexibility,\u201d Stephanie Roseman, vice president of people solutions and experience at Allstate Corp, one of the country’s largest providers of personal insurance, told Yahoo Money. \u201cMany are choosing to work from home and others are splitting time between home and the office.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u201cRemote work is wonderful for me, but it\u2019s really the flexibility that is paramount,” Mallory Vasquez, a communications senior manager at Allstate who lives outside of Chicago, told Yahoo Money. (Photo courtesy of Vasquez)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In fact, 75% of Allstate\u2019s employees are fully remote, 24% are hybrid, and only 1% are office-based workers, Roseman said. Mallory Vasquez is one of those remote employees.<\/p>\n

\u201cRemote work is wonderful for me, but it\u2019s really the flexibility that is paramount,\u201d Vasquez, 34, a communications senior manager at Allstate who lives outside of Chicago, told Yahoo Money.<\/p>\n

 <\/em>\u201cBeing a mom of three young kids, I greatly appreciate the ability to step out for a doctor\u2019s appointment or work later if I\u2019m volunteering at preschool in the morning. That\u2019s simply not as feasible \u2013 logistically \u2013 when going into an office since the kids go to school closer to home.\u201d<\/p>\n

And her anxiety level has dropped drastically, even though she\u2019s still working on transitioning from work mode to family mode.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have felt less stress about rushing kids out the door or being late for daycare or school pickups,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

While she still \u201cmisses the deskside chats that happened naturally in the office or over lunch,\u201d she said \u201cnow that the office is re-opened, there\u2019s always the option <\/em>to go in person if I choose.\u201d<\/p>\n

BY<\/p>\n

Kerry Hannon<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n
Senior Columnist<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n\"Kerry<\/a><\/div>\n

Kerry is a Senior Columnist and Senior Reporter at Yahoo Money. Follow her on Twitter<\/em> @kerryhannon<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

Read the latest personal finance trends and news from Yahoo Money.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

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