Even after economies reopened, the hybrid work model — a combination of WFH and days in office — persisted. Increasingly, though, employers are demanding that their staff return to the office full time, five days a week. But employees are pushing back — hard. Many, particularly the younger generation, have come to believe that WFH should now be part of the new, post-pandemic, norm. A recent Randstad (a reputable and well-established global human resources and staffing company) survey indicates that nearly half of Gen Z and millennials would resign if required to work more frequently in the office. Our question is, while WFH was the most productive (really, only) option during the pandemic, is this still the case in a post-pandemic world? We think not.
The global Covid-19 pandemic was a massive shock to the world that required unprecedented changes to our way of life. At the onset of the pandemic, without a vaccine or cure, containing the spread of the virus was paramount. It forced governments to close their international borders, impose stringent stay-at-home orders and severely restrict movements of the people. Now, nearly five years down the road, we have wholeheartedly returned to our pre-pandemic lifestyles — except in one aspect: a full-time return to office (RTO).
During the height of the pandemic, the ability to work remotely or work from home (WFH) was a godsend, enabled by technological advancements in more recent years. Just imagine if the pandemic had happened a mere decade ago, when high-speed broadband coverage and access, and ownership of smartphones, desktops and laptops were far less prevalent. Our ability to swiftly switch to remote work offered at least some semblance of normalcy during an abnormal time. It was vital in keeping businesses operating, maintaining a certain level of productivity, protecting jobs and livelihoods for much of the population and, overall, mitigated the worst of the potential economic impact.
