Work From Home: COVID Fad or Long-Term Trend?

When the Coronavirus caused the sudden closure of many offices and workplaces in March 2020, it led to a new era of remote work for millions of employed Americans. Zoom meetings were the new normal and caused a significant shift in the way a large segment of the workforce operated for the unseen future. This idea to discuss working remotely from home wasn’t as clear cut as I initially thought. After some research on this topic and interviewing workplace leaders, I quickly realized this is a complex matter with conflicting data points and factors.

To my surprise I learned pre-pandemic there was already a shift and slight nudge for greater workplace flexibility. Personally, I was completely naive being an independent contractor the last 16 years. I’ve always been able to come and go from the office as I please, not having to punch the clock….so I never really put any thought into the matter. My performance was based on production and as long as I was meeting my production quotas, it didn’t matter how much I was in the office because I could still provide exceptional service to my clients and accomplish their business and real estate goals. However, post March 2020, when society was forever altered by the COVID-19 virus, I began working primarily and ultimately 95% from home. My production increased, income soared, and my number of total hours worked per week also climbed. Per a Costar news article written in December 2021, Kastle Systems, a security firm states “that keycard-swipe data shows the average office use rate among 10 major U.S. cities recently reached a pandemic high of 41%. That means more than half of workers are still not back in the office 21 months after they were sent home at the onset of the pandemic. Some companies, including insurer Nationwide and cryptocurrency firm Coinbase, have said they are embracing remote working permanently.”

During my business plan meeting with Al Apuzzo, President of Lee & Associates Carlsbad office, I asked him about the factors involved with our company’s future expansion into a larger office premises. Plans have been in place to increase the size of the office footprint by approximately 30%. He reiterated pressure to expand and grow the office space dated back to the pre-COVID era. Furthermore, Apuzzo confirmed during the COVID-19 pandemic his discussions and dialogue with Principals within the office suggested most of the agents in the office wanted to return while the support staff preferred working remotely. Although most agents wanted to return in some fashion, many planned to operate both at home and in the office. Nearly 2 years later, team members' routines have certainly changed because of the pandemic.

According to my clients, InDepth Corporation, they planned to have their staff return to the office in January 2022, allowing their employees to come into the office every Tuesday and Thursday and work from home Monday, Wednesday and Friday. This would be the first-time team members would be working together under one roof since March of 2020, but the Omicron variant has delayed that initiative. Chuck Welk, President of InDepth Corporation also confirmed each team member has certainly developed new routines. Staff members have adjusted and reduced expenses by eliminating childcare services and have enjoyed savings such as from traveling to and from the office. However, Brian Hecker, Vice-President of InDepth Corporation declared that training and teachable moments have been hampered because of the staff working remotely. Both Welk and Hecker also mentioned the overall collaboration and project brainstorming has also been impacted.

Upon my research, retaining talent or commissioning new hires will drive the trend to one of three scenarios: (i) working from the office ii) hybrid schedule, or iii) a permanent work from home solution. Company leadership will be forced to adapt and overcome. Ultimately, leaders in every sector will sort out the best practice(s) for them, but the effects are wide ranging. Personally, I have thrived working from home. My income increased 175% in 2021 while working the entire year from home. I never skipped a beat collaborating with my marketing and transaction coordinators. I believe my clients were the greatest benefactors as a result. Whether it’s a government or private sector job, the overall culture of each work organization differs within the team environment itself. After completing my research what I discovered is there is no “one size fits all” approach. Working from home: is it a Covid fad or long-term trend? Only time will tell.

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Work From Home: COVID Fad or Long-Term Trend?

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