Despite The Pandemic’s Threat Dwindling, 45% Of Workers Saw A Spike In Stress This Year

Remote working has become nuanced to say the least as the overarching trend establishes itself as a mainstay in the modern workplace. 

With this, Owl Labs and Global Workplace Analytics have released their sixth annual State of Remote Work report that touches on the intricacies of today’s remote workplace. 

In the past year, businesses set their sights onto a return-to-the-office scheme. With the threat of Covid-19 dwindling, companies are eager to bring their employees back into the workplace, but the feelings are not exactly mutual. 

Taking responses from over 2,300 full-time U.S. workers, one desire remained consistent: the need for flexibility. In fact, the number of workers who want full-time remote arrangements grew eight points to 42% from last year, while demand for hybrid models grew to 36%. 

While the survey shows that company’s flexible offerings have hit record-level highs, just 50% of training managers received guidance on how to operate with a hybrid or remote workforce, complicating the transition.  

Additionally, despite the threat of the pandemic falling, concerns over inflation and a recession have caused employee stress to spike. In fact, 45% of respondents said their work-related stress has grown in the last year, with the leading cause being returning to the office, followed by a fear of relinquishing flexibility and job instability. 

“This new data shows that successful businesses need to present a range of hybrid options and technologies to keep workers happy and productive, as one-size-fits-all remote or in-person policies don’t allow everyone to do their best work,” said Frank Weishaupt, CEO of Owl Labs.  

“Listening to employees is crucial as companies iterate on their policies, practices and product solutions to align with team members’ needs.”