As millions of Americans continue working from home, new survey results suggest why some of them should get comfortable. 77% of surveyed HR leaders expect the shift toward more teleworking to continue, even one year after COVID-19 substantially subsides.
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Conducted by The Conference Board, the survey assessed more than 150 HR executives primarily at large US companies. They weighed in on the various actions they are taking and plan on taking in light of this pandemic.
The findings also reveal that, this summer, US workers should continue to brace for more permanent, sometimes painful changes at their organizations. Rather than continuing to enact more easily reversible decisions such as furloughs and hiring freezes, some HR executives said their companies will now focus on making long-lasting changes, including more layoffs and restructurings. Insights and highlights from the survey include the following:
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Expect more working from home, even one year after COVID-19 substantially subsides
- 77 percent of HR executives expect an increase in the number of employees working remotely for at least three days per week. That’s even 12 months after the pandemic substantially subsides.
- “A shift toward more remote working will have major implications for HR departments,” said Robin Erickson, PhD, a report co-author and Principal Researcher at The Conference Board. “Among other changes, they will be able to recruit workers from a broader geographic pool and will need to hire and promote those who can inspire remote teams.”
Among the companies that were prepared for remote work, many are self-reporting an increase in productivity now, during the crisis.
- 37 percent of companies that had more remote workers before COVID-19 report that they are actually seeing increased employee productivity now, during the crisis.
- This self-reported boost in productivity suggests the immense potential of remote work – and the flexibility it provides – to improve performance and results.
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