Despite fears that a recession could rock an economy already facing record inflation, American workers have remained locked in an intense battle over remote work with their very own employers. Although countless studies have shown numerous benefits of remote work, and although the Great Resignation or Great Reshuffling continues even now, some companies that are resistant to change have risked it all on return-to-office (RTO) mandates. But new research has one experienced professional in the recruitment field questioning whether such mandates could backfire horribly and be made that much worse if a recession actually does strike.

RemoteWorker US is an online jobs board and resource website for remote workers, remote work jobseekers, and hiring managers, employers and HR personnel seeking to recruit and hire the top talent for remote positions. Remote Worker CEO Joseph Boll has long suggested that businesses do themselves a disservice by shunning remote work, but the stakes could be even higher now than ever.

He underscored data from data science group Metis, which suggested that businesses “pushing too hard” for RTO end up making alternative, emerging options like decentralized autonomous corporations/companies (DAC) or decentralized autonomous organizations (DAO) even more appealing to employees eager to work remotely.

Even with the whisperings of a recession in the air, and the nervous tensions that come along with it, the Great Resignation has shown no signs of slowing, indicating that rather than being a mere trend, the actual attitude of Americans towards their employers has permanently shifted in unprecedented ways. This could suggest that the old days of loyalty to a company are declining as more and more workers demand the work environment that works best for them — which, in many cases, is remote work for the average American.

In fact, Metis’ data shows that most young workers are willing to consider contract work for remote work opportunities. While the older generation appears a bit more resistant to that same prospect, even that subset expressed a preference for remote work over in-person. Further, businesses mindful of their longevity might be more willing to consider the demands of the younger and incoming generations of workers rather than the outgoing one.

However, by isolating workers eager to work remotely, businesses could end up short-staffed at the most critical moments, Boll added. In this way, he suggested that stubbornness about implementing RTO could indeed backfire on businesses in the long run.

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About Remote Worker (US)
Remote Worker is designed to help hiring managers and businesses connect with job-seeking professionals for remote work positions. We are affiliated with Remote Worker (UK), ClickJobs.io and Caribbean Employment Services Inc. For more information, visit https://www.remoteworker.jobs or contact [email protected].