Employees Are Quitting Instead of Giving Up Working From Home

[enhanced_deficit]

Turns out WFH is appealing to many:

Employees Are Quitting Instead of Giving Up Working From Home

The drive to get people back into offices is clashing with workers who’ve embraced remote work as the new normal.


By Anders Melin
and Misyrlena Egkolfopoulou
June 1, 2021

A six-minute meeting drove Portia Twidt to quit her job.

She’d taken the position as a research compliance specialist in February, enticed by promises of remote work. Then came the prodding to go into the office. Meeting invites piled up.
The final straw came a few weeks ago: the request for an in-person gathering, scheduled for all of 360 seconds. Twidt got dressed, dropped her two kids at daycare, drove to the office, had the brief chat and decided she was done.

“I had just had it,” said Twidt, 33, who lives in Marietta, Georgia.
With the coronavirus pandemic receding for every vaccine that reaches an arm, the push by some employers to get people back into offices is clashing with workers who’ve embraced remote work as the new normal.

While companies from Google to Ford Motor Co. and Citigroup Inc. have promised greater flexibility, many chief executives have publicly extolled the importance of being in offices. Some have lamented the perils of remote work, saying it diminishes collaboration and company culture. JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s Jamie Dimon said at a recent conference that it doesn’t work “for those who want to hustle.”
But legions of employees aren’t so sure. If anything, the past year has proved that lots of work can be done from anywhere, sans lengthy commutes on crowded trains or highways. Some people have moved. Others have lingering worries about the virus and vaccine-hesitant colleagues.
And for Twidt, there’s also the notion that some bosses, particularly those of a generation less familiar to remote work, are eager to regain tight control of their minions.

“They feel like we’re not working if they can’t see us,” she said. “It’s a boomer power-play.”
It’s still early to say how the post-pandemic work environment will look. Only about 28% of U.S. office workers are back at their buildings, according to an index of 10 metro areas compiled by security company Kastle Systems. Many employers are still being lenient with policies as the virus lingers, vaccinations continue to roll out and childcare situations remain erratic.

But as office returns accelerate, some employees may want different options. A May survey of 1,000 U.S. adults showed that 39% would consider quitting if their employers weren’t flexible about remote work. The generational difference is clear: Among millennials and Gen Z, that figure was 49%, according to the poll by Morning Consult on behalf of Bloomberg News.

bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-06-01/return-to-office-employees-are-quitting-instead-of-giving-up-work-from-home

[dannno]

Ya, if my company doesn't let me continue to wfh, I may quit. They are starting to bring more people back into the office, but so far not me. Could be in part bc I haven't claimed my vaccine bonus. I have some savings and some of that sweet btc to fall back on, tho.. hoping to retire in the next few years from btc anyway.

[CaptUSA]

it doesn’t work “for those who want to hustle."

Oh man, I couldn't agree with this more! Meanwhile, my company is unfortunately taking the exact opposite approach. They seem to think we can work remote forever with no loss in productivity.

I may get into a little bit of a rant here, but we know that people who really produce and those who hang around to get a paycheck. Those who are passionate about their work and those who are just looking to make it to the end of the work day, or to Friday, or to vacation, or to retirement. And from my experience, the producers HATE working from home. It's nearly universal when we talk to each other. Our ability to get things done is hampered in this "virtual" work setting. Meanwhile, the lazy, disinterested employees are loving this crap. The only reason they got anything done in the past was because they had to sit next to us and fed off our motivation. To them, WFH has been the biggest relief. They show up on Zoom meetings to show that they exist, and then disappear when the cameras are off. Getting follow-up work from them on time is nearly impossible.

It's like some kind of socialist utopia where the leeches aren't punished for their lack of production and the performers are frustrated and wondering why we even bother. I'm not surprised the younger generations are loving it and it has nothing to do with being "tech savvy". To me, my commute is the price I pay to do what I love. Sure, it can be a hassle to get up, shower, dress, and drive into work, but once I'm there, I relish being in the thick of it. And I got to do it every day. Until this WFH nonsense. I can understand if you hate what you do why working from home would be more desirable, but I wouldn't bat an eye if those people quit. Good riddance! And I certainly wouldn't hire someone if they showed a preference for WFH. It says too much about their character.

If your coworkers are still working from home, here's a test you can perform... Try reaching out virtually and see how long it takes someone to get back to you. Track those who generally respond immediately, even if it's with a "gimme 5 minutes". And then track those that respond later. And then poll them on whether they like WFH. I'm sure you'll notice the same trends as I have. The most active employees can't wait to get back to the office and the most passive ones are dreading it. Makes me miss my blue collar days when working from home wasn't an option.

And we've seen the damage done to the economy from money-printing, lockdowns and supply chain interruptions. This lowered productivity is just another unintended consequence waiting to rear its ugly head. $#@! WFH - let 'em all quit!

[enhanced_deficit]

That seems bit too critical view CaptUSA. There is no one style suits all solution here, optimal situation would depend on nature of work, personality types of people in a team and tools available to succeed in a WFH environment. For self motivated and organized people flexibility, commute time savings and other pluses could certainly boost productivity provided work is suitable for telecommuting.

[Lindsey]

Oh man, I couldn't agree with this more! Meanwhile, my company is unfortunately taking the exact opposite approach. They seem to think we can work remote forever with no loss in productivity.

I may get into a little bit of a rant here, but we know that people who really produce and those who hang around to get a paycheck. Those who are passionate about their work and those who are just looking to make it to the end of the work day, or to Friday, or to vacation, or to retirement. And from my experience, the producers HATE working from home. It's nearly universal when we talk to each other. Our ability to get things done is hampered in this "virtual" work setting. Meanwhile, the lazy, disinterested employees are loving this crap. The only reason they got anything done in the past was because they had to sit next to us and fed off our motivation. To them, WFH has been the biggest relief. They show up on Zoom meetings to show that they exist, and then disappear when the cameras are off. Getting follow-up work from them on time is nearly impossible.

It's like some kind of socialist utopia where the leeches aren't punished for their lack of production and the performers are frustrated and wondering why we even bother. I'm not surprised the younger generations are loving it and it has nothing to do with being "tech savvy". To me, my commute is the price I pay to do what I love. Sure, it can be a hassle to get up, shower, dress, and drive into work, but once I'm there, I relish being in the thick of it. And I got to do it every day. Until this WFH nonsense. I can understand if you hate what you do why working from home would be more desirable, but I wouldn't bat an eye if those people quit. Good riddance! And I certainly wouldn't hire someone if they showed a preference for WFH. It says too much about their character.

If your coworkers are still working from home, here's a test you can perform... Try reaching out virtually and see how long it takes someone to get back to you. Track those who generally respond immediately, even if it's with a "gimme 5 minutes". And then track those that respond later. And then poll them on whether they like WFH. I'm sure you'll notice the same trends as I have. The most active employees can't wait to get back to the office and the most passive ones are dreading it. Makes me miss my blue collar days when working from home wasn't an option.

And we've seen the damage done to the economy from money-printing, lockdowns and supply chain interruptions. This lowered productivity is just another unintended consequence waiting to rear its ugly head. $#@! WFH - let 'em all quit!

That may be the case for some, but it's definitely not universal. I'm self-employed now, but when I was employed by others I was always among the most productive teammembers. For a while, Iworked 3 days fromhome and2days inthe office. The 2 daysin the office were mostly a waste forme. I have a problem with being a little too socialintheoffice. Eventually, they just told me towork fromhome 5 days a week. My productivity was significantlyhigherathome. Peoplearedifferent. Onesizefitsallmanagementtends to missthe mark more often than not.

[dannno]

That seems bit too critical view CaptUSA. There is no one style suits all solution here, optimal situation would depend on nature of work, personality types of people in a team and tools available to succeed in a WFH environment. For self motivated and organized people flexibility, commute time savings and other pluses could certainly boost productivity provided work is suitable for telecommuting.

Yes, I agree. I've gotten more work done this year, in part because I've had more work loaded onto me than normal this year due to the nature of my job and the constant changes happening with our business. I'm also doing higher quality work because I am less tired, I get to sleep in an hour later. Less distracted with stuff going on at work, less stressed out, happier in general, etc..