Remote Work Policies Depend on Process, Not Just Location

More than six years after the initial onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, a significant portion of the U.S. workforce capable of remote work continues to do so, with over one in five employees working remotely full-time or at least one day per week. Despite this established new normal, a singular approach to remote and hybrid work has not universally succeeded, and discussions regarding its advantages and disadvantages persist. To investigate the factors influencing the sustained shift towards remote and hybrid work post-pandemic and its broader effects on research firms, a study was conducted by Babson College colleagues Gina O’Connor and Jonathan Sims, alongside the author. The research concluded that the methodology employed to determine employee work locations is as significant as the final decision itself.

In early 2020, four global companies engaged in comparable technical and scientific research and development activities faced a similar challenge. When the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted established routines, all four organizations had access to the same communication technologies. Adhering to social science research methodologies, the identities of these companies were kept confidential. Through a series of interviews conducted between 2021 and 2023 with senior leadership, project team leaders, and team members, it was revealed that all four companies initially mandated remote work for the majority of their employees in March 2020. However, the subsequent three years saw divergent paths in how these companies managed work arrangements—whether remote, on-site, or hybrid—as waves of the pandemic ebbed and flowed. These differences manifested in the time taken to establish stable work configurations and the extent of employee agreement with those arrangements.

Previous research examining the likelihood of employers adopting remote and hybrid work policies after the pandemic has often focused on executive characteristics, such as age and personality traits. This new study, however, posits that decisions concerning employee work locations are more deeply rooted in an employer's organizational culture. This culture encompasses the collective assumptions, beliefs, and norms that guide decision-making processes and interactions among colleagues. The research highlights that the process of developing and implementing remote work policies is a critical determinant of their long-term success and employee acceptance, suggesting that a transparent and inclusive approach to policy creation can foster greater stability and satisfaction than the policy's specific remote or on-site stipulations alone. The study's findings underscore the importance of how decisions are made within an organization, particularly when navigating significant shifts in work structures, emphasizing that the journey to a stable work arrangement is as impactful as the destination.