A new trend will change the labor market. “This is the beginning of the end of remote work”

Headquarters of a large financial company in an office district in Warsaw. For almost two years, most of the employees worked online. The first changes appeared in April of this year. Employees received an email asking them to work in the office every Monday. One of the reasons was the improvement of work organization, effective planning of tasks for the whole week and improved communication between employees. After the meetings, the heads of departments invited their wards for a fruit snack.

Companies are promoting a new employment model. At least three days of office work

- However, this change did not end the matter. the company’s employees complain in an interview with Wprost.pl. In August, all employees received another email from the president of the company. In it, the employer said that from September 1, he would restore a new work model - at least three days a week in the office. In a further part of the message, he argued that this is a new trend of increasing the number of working days at the headquarters of the company, which is used by the largest international corporations. Each employee had to complete the register when it was available in the company.

Employees of many other Warsaw companies, both commercial and IT industry, also received new schedules to complete in July and August. Although they do not have any form of coercion, there are other very important arguments in favor of changing the job formula, affecting their promotion or promotion. “The number of working days in the office will be an important element in the evaluation of each employee of our company” - says the director of one of the Warsaw corporations.

Labor market. Remote work can affect the assessment of employees

In turn, another manager added that he spoke to each of his employees and firmly pointed out that working online, although allowed, could mean the end of their dreams of promotion or promotion. - I suggested a work model: four days at the office and one day at home. In extreme cases, it can be three days in the company, two days work at home. the manager said. That was enough. Within a few days, most of the employed, despite initial protests, adapted to the new work formula.

Directors or managers of many companies speak in almost the same style. They repeat like a mantra that they don’t mind working remotely, but for them, people working from home are out of touch with the day-to-day life of the company. - These are virtual employees that can be contacted by email or telephone. It’s a bit like talking to a stranger or a customer. they note in unison.

Labor market report. Office work is more efficient

Employees of corporations receive such messages not only in Warsaw. Internet users in a number of other Polish cities complain about the increase in the number of working days in the office. On social media, many people are complaining that companies are scamming people away from working remotely and forcing employees to return to their offices. Some insert the content of messages received from superiors.

In addition to giving numerous examples of foreign corporations that have adapted to the new model - three days of work in the office, two days from home - employers have found another argument that is difficult to argue with employees. - Many analysts report a drop in the productivity of companies whose employees spend less than three days in the office. - wrote the president of one of the Wroclaw companies in a special letter to employees. According to employees, the company began to hire only those people who indicated at the interview that they were only interested in working in the office.

Labor market. Companies refuse to work remotely

- More and more companies are ditching remote work - says Cesar Kazmierczak, President of the Association of Entrepreneurs and Employers in an interview with Wprost.pl. - At the moment, the dominant trend is that almost everyone allows occasional remote work, but more than 2-3 days a month is already condemned. And this casual remote work will likely be what’s left of the pandemic. he adds.

Economist Marek Zuber sees it a little differently. - It is not true that all analyzes confirm the higher efficiency of work in the office. The truth is that Polish bosses simply find research that is more convenient for them at the moment. says the expert.

- And the question of the effectiveness of work in the office and beyond depends on many factors. First of all, from the nature of the work itself, from the organization of work in the office and online work, both in technical terms and in terms of managing such work, even in the context of relationships between employees. Efficiency also depends simply on the nature of the employee himself. It is also important which form of effects accounting is used in a given company. he adds. In his opinion, these factors can be multiplied.

The new 3+2 formula will soon become the standard in the labor market

- I also see a clearly growing trend of forcing employees to work in the office. Coercion, because often employees do not want to and consider such a form to be worse. Interestingly, this trend also applies to young bosses. Personally, I think this is a mistake. says economist Marek Zuber.

- I’m a big fan of hybrid work. A hybrid approach, not just online, because I value the value of personal contact. In my opinion, the formula 2 + 3 or 3 + 2 is optimal. Of course, where possible, it is difficult to use it, for example, in a grocery store. he points.

The expert also draws attention to another very important issue regarding changes in the labor market. - I also noticed, and this happens often, that the boss, forced by the nature of his work to come to work, is annoyed by employees who are at home. He believes they have a privilege over him. It’s a terrible approach, but like I said, it’s getting more and more common. he convinces.

Labor market. “This is the beginning of the end of remote work”

Maja Gojtowska, HR process consultant, also notes the constant struggle of employers to get employees back into the office. In her opinion, one of the reasons for this decision is the impact of managers’ feeling of lack of control over the team, less commitment of employees in the organization, weaker relationships in teams, and perhaps even reduced commitment.

- The labor market is still convinced that when employees came to the offices, everything was easier. In a sense, it was. Leaders could perform many managerial tasks as if by the way. he adds. According to some experts, this is the beginning of the end of remote work as we know it.

Foreign corporations are also increasingly talking about the end of the era of online work. In August, the statement of the head of Amazon sounded loud. Andy Jassi suggested that people who want to continue working from home look for another job, which we wrote about on Wprost.pl. The company has just begun a grand return of employees to the offices.

Foreign corporations are changing the rules of the game. Polish companies are adapting to them

Other foreign corporations have taken a similar step. Not all of them were as firm in their statements as the president of Amazon, most companies use economic arguments, attach links or descriptions of analytical reports. The restoration of three working days in the office was announced, in particular, by Disney, Google or Tesla.

ChatGPT and Zoom, which have benefited the most from working remotely during the pandemic, have also encouraged their employees to work from the office. In turn, the French giant appealed to its employees with a call: either you will work three days in the office, or you will not be able to count on promotions or bonuses.