Employees Still Prefer Remote Work

Many business leaders prefer their employees return to traditional office spaces. Part of the push is that remote work can degrade employees’ work-life balance and exacerbate existing mental health issues like anxiety and depression. However, these leaders conveniently forget these issues are not automatically assuaged by traditional office work. Office work can bring a different set of problems, from the frustration of commutes to a lack of autonomy to take care of important personal issues. What’s needed is an apples-to-apples comparison, which is exactly what LinkedIn tried to do last month when they reviewed application types. While remote job postings are down slightly, most applicants preferred these listings. Remote jobs received more than four times the applications of traditional jobs. What does that mean? It means that despite the feelings of isolation that might come with remote work, employees still prefer it to the alternative. According to Jennifer Shappley, LinkedIn’s vice president of global talent acquisition, “Data shows that workers continue to prize flexibility and work-life balance even as the economic outlook darkens.”