Recruiting, Talent

Companies and Candidates Not Aligned When It Comes to Work from Home Options

A number of large companies have moved to bring remote workers back into corporate offices, but job candidates still expect work from home options. So finds new data from the MRINetwork 2017 Recruiter Sentiment Study.


The study, based on a survey of 265 MRINetwork recruiters, 100 employers, and 263 candidates, was conducted by an independent research firm on behalf of Management Recruiters International, branded as MRINetwork, one of the largest executive search and recruitment organizations in the world.

Talent Sets the Terms

Employers aim to increase collaboration, creativity, mentoring, and innovation by requiring employees to work from corporate offices. However, they may be alienating top talent in the executive, managerial, and professional labor market – a sector that is candidate-driven and challenged by talent shortages across many industries, MRINetwork finds.
The refocus on in-office work environments comes at a time when many candidates demand work from home options during the interview process.
Among those surveyed, 68 percent of recruiters and 53 percent of employers say candidates expect to work remotely somewhat often to very often. At the same time, more than half of surveyed candidates say that having a work from home option is somewhat to extremely important as they consider a new job.
“The U.S. unemployment rate is 2.8 percent within the executive, managerial, and professional sector, so companies that fail to provide work from home options are definitely missing out on key talent,” says an MRINetwork recruiter that participated in the survey. “In-demand candidates have choices. The more specific or rare their skill set is, their options increase, especially if they work in a field where competition for candidates is fierce. If they don’t want to relocate or work five-day weeks in an office environment, they may turn down a solid offer if they can’t work remotely.”

Tapping a Larger Talent Pool

Technology has made communication, collaboration, security, and other aspects of integrating remote employees easier, allowing companies to implement this strategy to attract and retain top talent.
“Providing people with the opportunity to work remotely – whether full-time or a few days a week – allows you to access a larger talent pool, while offering flexibility to those who don’t want a long commute, or simply just need to be more accessible to their families,” says another MRINetwork recruiter. “Delivering this type of work-life balance is invaluable as a retention strategy, because employees may hesitate to take a job with another company if they don’t have the ability to work remotely.”

When Collaboration Is the Goal

Simply corralling people back into the office doesn’t necessarily ensure collaboration.
“The work environment and culture have to support and encourage working together, sharing ideas, and rewarding innovative thinking,” says Nancy Halverson, general manager for MRINetwork.
Nevertheless, companies must formulate a well thought out plan to successfully implement a work from home program.
“This necessitates drawing up formal guidelines and finding the right technological tools, as well as hiring people that can thrive in a remote working environment,” says Halverson. “Once in place, the program requires oversight and tweaking to make it sustainable and successful. Ultimately, to gain the full benefits you have to make sure remote workers are fully engaged and feel just as much a part of the team as your in-office staff.”
Companies that wish to turn the clock back to the days when employees were all under one roof appear to be yearning for a bygone era.
“The ability to work from home is here to stay,” says Halverson. “Collaboration and innovation are vitally important, but technology is continually advancing, empowering remote workers to be indispensable contributors to their in-office teams. Ultimately, smart employers will find their workforce is stronger and more effective when it creates an environment generating productivity from both work- from-home and in-office workers.”

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