Remote work has historically been designated for white-collar knowledge workers, but frontline employees may get their own opportunity to experiment with flexible arrangements in the near future according to forecasts from Gartner.
For many, this may come in the form of the compromising hybrid model, where employees split between being in the office and working from home.
According to Gartner’s predictions, the new year will mark a shift towards offering front-line workers more autonomy with their scheduling and benefits, providing them the ability to swap shifts when needed and receiving more paid leave.
For many industries that rely on front-line staff, such as restaurants, retaining workers has become increasingly difficult in recent years. However, research suggests that employees are more likely to stay on at an employer that offers flexibility.
“We’re seeing a slew of resignations from jobs that have forced employees back to the office, suggesting that workers have made workplace flexibility an ultimatum they refuse to give up—and they’re not deterred by recent layoff reports,” said Lexi Clarke, VP of people at Payscale.
