This article was written by The Zillennial Zine’s spring editorial intern Ian Ferdock. Find him on Instagram at @ianferdock. If you would like to share an article with The Zillennial, send us an email at thezillennialzine@gmail.com.
Remote work was a relatively novel concept in 2019. Then, the COVID-19 pandemic changed everything. With nations worldwide, including the US, imposing various lockdowns across industries, remote work offered a way to maintain business productivity. However, now that the pandemic is in the rearview, there have been ongoing shifts in the workplace. Some companies have opted to maintain their remote workforce, others have instituted hybrid arrangements, and many have forced a full return to the office. If you are looking for remote work, your searches may be turning up a smaller pool of results today compared to previous years. What will the future of remote work in the US look like, and is remote work going away?
The History of Remote Work
Remote work before 2020 was relatively rare. There were a few niche industries where it had been implemented, but it was far from common. Then, in 2020 as office doors shut, companies were forced to utilize remote work to maintain business productivity, particularly in industries deemed non-essential. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the data gathered by the American Community Survey demonstrated that between 2019 and 2021, the rate of remote workers drastically increased in all major industries to confront the challenges brought on by the pandemic.
This trend continued through the height of COVID-19, but by 2022 remote work was in decline. However, remote work is still more commonplace than before 2019. Post-pandemic, there have undoubtedly been further shifts as companies have opted to roll back Covid-era policies. Many of these changes have not been a wholesale return to the office. Various employers who did offer remote arrangements have pivoted to a hybrid approach. This allows more flexibility for companies and their employees.
Forbes reported in July 2024 that remote job listings are in decline. Despite still eclipsing pre-pandemic levels, remote positions contributed 11.7 percent of total job listings from January 2024 to June 2024. This a small drop from their 2022 peak of 13.66 percent. A large push behind this change has surprisingly come from tech giants. Companies like Apple, Meta, and Amazon were among the first to embrace remote roles but they have also represented the strongest drive to return to the office. The federal government has also ended all remote offerings via an executive order. Conversely, there are still some large companies that have opted to maintain their level of dependence on remote employees. Yelp has continued to close its physical offices to cut costs and focus on keeping its employees at home.
A Transition into a Hybrid Model
In a separate article from December 2024, Forbes lamented that despite post-pandemic changes remote work is not going to disappear. As many as 68 percent of American companies provide an avenue for work location flexibility. A mere one-third require full-time hours in the office. Remote work has declined after the pandemic, but more companies have transitioned to hybrid models instead of a full return to the office. Almost half of US companies now rely on this popular hybrid model.
Is Remote Work Better for Companies and Employees?
The effectiveness of remote work has become the subject of fierce debate. Business executives tend to represent one side of the argument, while workers find themselves on the opposing side. Ultimately, the best way to quantify the effectiveness of remote work is through examining the implications on business costs and productivity. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics argues that the most business-friendly benefit of remote work relates to a reduction in operation costs. With fewer employees in offices, the result is a reduction in fixed expenses. Office space is expensive and so is the energy required to operate those buildings. Remote work helps to alleviate those costs. Furthermore, remote work is linked to higher levels of satisfaction among employees. When employees are happier, they keep their positions longer, reducing hiring costs.
Another major concern is a loss of productivity. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics concedes that while some studies have indicated a drop in productivity, their analysis indicates that this link isn’t strong enough to prove causation. Additionally, there is ample evidence that since workers are more comfortable with their environment at home it can increase productivity.
One unintended complication of the push to return to the office is the lack of space. Many companies, as well as the federal government, have downsized. There simply isn’t enough space currently available for companies to shift their entire workforce back into cubicles.
Arguments of CEOs
Business leaders, specifically CEOs tied to large corporations, have made it clear that they oppose the continuance of remote work. Work Life claims that Amazon and Google have continued their push to force their employees to return to their offices full-time. A study conducted by KPMG indicated that 80 percent of CEOs are convinced remote work will die off within the next three years. They have committed to enticing full-time office employees with incentives such as higher pay and bonuses.
Stack Overflow explains that two main concerns are driving this trend. Over three-quarters of business leaders are convinced that cultivating an office culture is essential to their company’s identity and ability to function effectively. CEOs want their employees in their offices to create a better working relationship and promote a more cohesive environment. The second main concern is productivity. Unfortunately, this is a bit complicated as defining metrics to calculate productivity is not straightforward. One study conducted by Stanford argues that remote work is linked to a 10 percent productivity drop. Nonetheless, there was not a statistically significant drop in productivity related to hybrid roles.
However, those who completed this analysis admitted they did not factor in the cost savings provided by lessening dependence on real estate. Another persistent problem with productivity-related studies is the differentiation between hybrid and fully remote roles. Aside from the study conducted by Standford, many don’t take this factor into account. This makes analyzing controversial and contradictory data more contentious. The National Bureau of Economic Research argues that remote work hinders productivity, but their studies neglected to factor in real estate costs and the economic impact of retention rates.
A fundamental problem with the push to return to offices is that it comes from individuals and businesses who possess a vested interest in the commercial real estate market. Regardless of the findings productivity studies, those with a financial interest in workers being physically present in offices will continue their push to avoid economic losses. Even if it is to the detriment of employees.
Arguments of Workers
Despite the commitment of CEOs and other business leaders to end remote work, employees maintain a different stance. Unsurprisingly, workers would rather retain the flexibility offered by hybrid and remote work. An added benefit to these arrangements is also a reduction in the cost of living provided by infrequent commutes and the ability to live further from offices which are usually located in dense urban areas associated with higher expenditures.
Many workers also dismiss the claims of CEOs that company culture depends on employees being present in the office. Stack Overflow indicates contrary to CEOs, only around one-third of workers think they need to be on-site to contribute and cultivate organizational culture.
The bottom line is that workers are happier with remote and hybrid arrangements. This has important implications for business operations. Employees who have more location flexibility were on average 20 percent happier than those who were fully on-site. Happier employees are linked to increased sales, productivity, and task accuracy.
One surprising anecdote provided by Work Life is that employees who favor remote and hybrid options may have found an ally in human resources departments. While unemployment numbers are low, anyone currently searching for a job knows that the market has been tough. Companies that still offer location flexibility have had an easier time filling open roles and keeping them filled. HR managers caution against the militant stance of CEOs forcing a return to offices. These policies will likely lead to higher turnover and employee dissatisfaction.
Stack Overflow also brings up another important point to consider in this debate. Workplace flexibility significantly improved accessibility to a wide range of Americans. Working mothers, especially single mothers, greatly benefited from the increase in remote and hybrid jobs. The ability to work from home, even if it is only for a portion of the week, allows parents to better balance their professional and domestic responsibilities. Those with disabilities also benefit from workplace flexibility. If remote or hybrid roles were to disappear, already marginalized demographics would be disproportionately harmed.
What Will the Future Look Like? Is Remote Work Going Away?
It is unlikely likely that remote work will become extinct. However, there will likely be continued changes to the workplace in the near future. Most remote work opportunities throughout 2025 will likely be in a hybrid form. This allows companies to have more face-to-face interactions with employees and cultivate their beloved office culture, while also making concessions to employees by offering flexibility.
With the federal government eliminating remote work and major tech giants providing the biggest push to return to offices, fully remote and hybrid options will appear in higher density among smaller companies and startups. This allows small businesses to maintain a competitive stance by listening to the needs of prospective employees.
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics confirms that in 2025 the highest proportion of flexible job offerings will reside in smaller companies. Small businesses offer location flexibility 70 percent of the time. Meanwhile, large corporations offer flexible options 14 percent of the time. They also confirm the pivot to hybrid positions over fully remote roles as there has been a 7 percent drop in fully remote roles. Conversely, hybrid opportunities requiring three days a week in an office have increased nearly 10 percent.
It Comes Down to Labor vs Capital
It seems to be that returning to the office has little to do with cutting costs and maintaining productivity. The available data indicates that remote work saves companies and their employees time and money. Even if remote work does lead to a small drop in productivity, which is ultimately difficult to prove, hybrid arrangements don’t suffer from the same complications. The largest push to return to offices comes from those in positions of power, who simply want to reinstitute more control over their employees’ daily lives. The power struggle between employees and employers will determine if remote work is going away.
To maintain the current level of remote work, the labor force will have to leverage its power over employers. Date from the Pew Research Center argues that employees may have more power than they think. When accounting for US adults who have jobs that can be done at home, 75 percent work remotely at least some of the time. Almost half of that cohort would be willing to leave their positions if they were required to be in the office full time. Furthermore, the most popular working arrangement is in a hybrid capacity.
Barring any unforeseen economic changes, throughout 2025 it is unlikely that there will be a major shift in the amount of remote and hybrid work. The most likely outcome is maintaining the current level of remote and hybrid roles, with an emphasis on hybrid opportunities. Further into the future, it’s harder to tell. It will ultimately depend on whether American labor can out match the will of their employers.
Let us know in the comments below if you prefer to work at home or in an office.
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