Remote work is better for employers and employees, says Dr. Gleb Tsipursky—which will undoubtedly help struggling businesses during a future recession.
Many headlines say that an upcoming recession might indicate the end of remote work as we know it, says Tsipursky, Chief Executive Officer of Disaster Avoidance Experts and author of “Leading Hybrid and Remote Teams: A Manual.” The prevailing ethos is that once a recession hits, managers must become more disciplined and strict with employees. However, that's just not the case, Tsipursky says. He claims that remote work will help businesses during a recession by increasing employee retention, cutting costs, and improving productivity—and that there's data to back up every one of these points.
Regardless of the common executive mindset that working remotely is terrible for business, studies show that it aids almost every aspect of the employee experience. A study from Stanford University found that remote workers are 9% more productive than office workers with the right remote-friendly technology at their disposal. Another study of 307 companies found that higher levels of worker autonomy and flexibility mean that employees are more innovative. So while managers might be tempted to revert to an old way of working out of fear that their companies might suffer in a recession, the data proves otherwise, Tsipursky says.
Remote work also saves money—not just on office space but salaries. A survey of workers at Google, Amazon, and Microsoft found that 64% of respondents would rather work from home permanently than take a $30,000 pay raise. Remote work also improves retention, as another ADP Survey notes that two-thirds of respondents would look for another job if their employers asked them to work in person full time. By becoming stricter with employees, Tsipursky adds, employers might face counterintuitive effects that drive workers away when times get hard.
