Most surveys and statistics point to a hybrid work life and world for the future. They also indicate that there are employer and employee benefits of a mix of in office and remote work. Employers generally see increased productivity and more engaged employees. Employees generally are happier, see financial and health benefits and have better work life balance. This likely is no surprise.
The question that my attention is, What happens next? As hybrid work becomes the new normal, is back to the office effectively the first step toward going back to the same old grind? Has the flexibility in work location forced by a pandemic created an illusion of balance that glosses over an underlying issue? Will you and others become accustomed to this flexibility and no longer perceive it as enough? (OK, that is several questions and one has two-parts.)
Surveys also indicate that most employees are not willing to go back to the old world of being in the office full-time. Instead they would pursue a new job or quit outright if required to be predominately on site. There seems there is a fairly tentative balance underlying the new norm.
If you are one of those that remote work tips the scale for staying in your current job, it might be worth asking yourself, What’s on the other side of the scale that is weighing so heavily? What would drive you to leave your current job, just because you had to physically show up for work every day? After all, the overwhelming majority of people work on site, somewhere around 75%.
Knowing and pursuing what is essential to you might help you answer these questions. It also might shift your focus on what is important to more than merely remote versus onsite.
