How Remote Work Has Impacted Employee Retention

How Remote Work Has Impacted Average Employee Tenure

Remote and hybrid work have drastically changed the way people do their jobs. However, people still question if these are worthwhile endeavors, or if all employees should return to the office. When considering this, one important aspect to think about is retention and whether remote and hybrid work are affecting it – either positively or negatively.

To help you appreciate the impact of remote and hybrid work on employee retention, we asked HR managers and business leaders for their personal viewpoints. From increased flexibility to higher satisfaction due to work/life balance, there are several impactful ways remote/hybrid work has changed the labor landscape, especially when it comes to retention.

Employees Satisfied with More Control Over Work/Life Balance

Remote work and hybrid work environments have impacted our average employee tenure positively because they have more control over their own schedules. This means they can work around personal commitments, which makes it more likely they’ll stay with a company for longer.

Additionally, remote and hybrid workplaces often offer more flexible hours, which can also help employees maintain a good work/life balance and reduce stress levels. As a result, employees who have the option to work in remote settings are often more satisfied with their jobs and less likely to leave for another company.

Amy Gilmore
Managing Editor, Learn Financial Strategy

Less Time Commuting Makes Our Employees Happier to Stay

Veteran employees are excited to stick around with the company for longer than ever before. A long commute can drain the team and motivation decreases.

A remote or hybrid workplace intrigues team members who have been with the company for decades. It makes it easier to do their job, and it’s less physically demanding. We get to keep our employees a bit longer when working this way.

Natália Sadowski
Director of Aesthetics, Nourishing Biologicals

Mobility Has Given Candidates More Options

Having flexibility in how employees work has granted them the ability to be more mobile with their lifestyle choices. Life is happening now. People want to live in the moment more now than ever.

Hybrid is a term that is loosely defined because one company may expect you to appear three to four times a month, while another company may set a mandate for employees to work out of an office two to three times a week.

When the mobility of workers becomes restricted, people are quick to explore alternative options to accommodate their present reality and needs.

Sasha Laghonh
Founder, Sasha Talks

More Productive and Encouraging to Keep the Team Here

Before the pandemic, working from home seemed like a distraction away from the office, and it felt impossible to connect with other team members. This virtual environment has proven that a remote office is in fact more productive and emphasizes how important teamwork and communication are.

Team members can focus better on the task at hand and reset and refresh throughout the day to keep their minds sharp. The work-life balance and efficiency of a remote workplace are here to stay.

Jodi Neuhauser
CEO, Ovaterra

Employees Prefer Remote Roles

As a recruiter, I target businesses I know that are pushing the return to office (RTO) because their employees are likely all looking for opportunities. The bottom line, if you want access to the top echelon of talent, you need to allow remote. If you don’t, another company will and they will get the talent you want/need.

If you hope to retain said talent, you need to ease off the RTO. The data shows higher productivity almost universal for remote workforces. If businesses lack enough budget for the hires they need to make, offering remote is a good way to get talent for a lower price.

Many people want to be remote and will take below-market pay so long as they can stay remote. Which should appeal to employers when it’s a candidate’s market in a period of high inflation.

Matthew Jones
Senior IT Recruiter, VIP Tech Consultants

Attracting and Keeping Top Talent

Our company opened up our first fully remote position back in 2015, long before the pandemic. We had a talented employee who was moving because of personal reasons, and they were torn between leaving their job and following their own ambitions. As a compromise, we decided to keep working together on a remote basis.

While it was difficult to adapt to at first, we are happy to say that almost eight years later, the employee is still with us and thriving. They paved the way for other team members to follow in their footsteps.

We have been able to attract and retain our top talent by offering flexibility with remote or hybrid work. This has allowed our employees to grow both professionally and personally.

It has been amazing to watch our company grow while seeing our employees thrive by getting another educational degree, starting a family, buying a home or investing in a hobby.

Johan Hajji
CEO and Founder, UpperKey

Helping Us Retain Employees With Hybrid Schedules

One way remote work and hybrid workplaces have impacted average employee tenure is it has helped retain employees. 

Employees prefer to have a hybrid work schedule. They allow the flexibility of being able to be in the office but also be allowed to work from home a couple of times a week.  This has helped with employee morale and creating that work/life balance culture.

Lindsey Hight
HR Professional, Sporting Smiles

Flexible Jobs Lead to Higher Dissatisfaction

My company has recently transitioned to a hybrid workplace model, and I’ve noticed that it’s impacted employee tenure. In the past, people stayed with us for several years, but now there’s more turnover.

I think part of the reason is that people are less tied to the physical location of their jobs. With remote work becoming more popular, there’s less of a need to stay in one place for a long period. People are also more likely to switch companies if they’re not happy with their current situation.

The hybrid workplace model gives people the flexibility to work from anywhere, and I think that’s led to a higher degree of job dissatisfaction. As a result, I think the average tenure at my company has decreased.

Antreas Koutis
Administrative Manager, Financer

Image: Canva

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