Employees are resigning from companies that don’t offer flexible remote work options
In 2020 at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, countless companies whose primary worksite was an office setting had to mobilize their employees to a remote environment. Within weeks employees who worked in an office were told to work from home. Many employees and employers saw this as an excellent opportunity to prove that remote work policies can benefit productivity and employee retention.
Now in 2022, some companies are asking their employees to return to the office. Many found remote work strategies worked better for them and their employees. However, some companies are now in full remote workforce mode and have no plans to return to an office building. This dynamic brings hiring and employee retention policies and processes into question, with remote work options at the forefront.
Recently, a study surveyed about 1500 employees across various industries to gauge their attitude toward remote work and flexible work hours. In addition, nearly 300 human resource managers were also given the same questions to provide a different perspective.
The point of the survey was to conclude if remote work options for employees would be a make or break for new hires to accept a position. Or for employees to stay in general. Most of the survey’s findings showed that employees were willing to leave if the company could not offer some type of remote work policy on a regular basis.
Employees Resigning Because of Lack of Flexible Work from Home Arrangements
The study revealed that 29% of employees changed jobs in 2021, and in 2022, 34% of employees are planning to resign from their current organization. The main reason was that employees were disappointed with their company’s remote work policies. However, a significant reason is that there is a lack of flexibility in the day-to-day work schedule.
Companies that give the option to work remotely are considered a potential benefit by 46% of employees. And 35% stated that the lack of flexibility to work remotely plays a factor in searching for a new employer.
The study also showed that employees have a strong desire to work from home, as 64% of the employees stated that if told to return to the office, they would start searching for a new job. Additionally, of the employees surveyed, 91% agreed that they should be able to work from home as long as their work is getting done.
72% of employees said that flexible work arrangements are one of the most important qualities they look for in a new employer. This includes things like being able to work remotely, which is more important to employees than factors like company culture, professional development, and social impact. The only qualities to top flexible work arrangements were compensation and employee well-being.
While employees enjoy the flexibility of remote work, employers show hesitation to implement remote work options due to the ability to determine the employees’ working hours. The employee’s location can also be a concern because there can be tax and immigration compliance issues on hand if employees are in different cities or states. The reports show that in 2022 only 46% of HR representatives were confident in knowing where their employees were located during work hours.
Employees and HR professionals both agree that allowing employees to work remotely allows the opportunity to build a team that is based on qualifications and experience. The report shows that 90% of HR representatives and 82% of employees agree that hiring should be based on skill set over the location.
GMS Can Help with Employee Retention
Global Mobility Solutions (GMS) understands that hiring and retaining good employees is a pain point for many companies. To help organizations retain employees, GMS created our Employee Choice Program for relocations not financially sponsored by the employer. This allows companies to open up opportunities for employees looking to relocate. In addition, companies can give employees the flexibility to work remotely.
In working with GMS to utilize this program, the company allows employees to leverage the buying power, deep discounts, and high-quality coordination from a relocation management company without financial sponsorship. In more straightforward terms, employees electing to relocate can utilize our network of vetted and qualified partners at an affordable cost without the employer’s financial assistance for management and service costs.
GMS hopes this service can act as a win-win situation as the employee is able to stay with the company, while the organization is not hit hard with relocation costs. If you are ready to start looking into Employee Choice Programming, then contact us today to set up a courtesy consultation and demonstration. Our relocation experts would be glad to discuss how GMS can help with any of your relocation services.
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Nancy Kritzer | CRP
Senior Vice President, Domestic Services Nancy has over 35 years of experience in the real estate and relocation arena. Her real estate, relocation, and management experience is exceptional. She is responsible for the leadership, training and mentoring of new and existing coaches, ensuring the team is delivering the highest levels of customer service possible. Nancy holds the Certified Relocation Professional (CRP) designation.
