20 Sep “remote arrangements are scarce”
“The pandemic gave many people their first true taste of remote work. Job seekers have liked the taste and continue to apply for those types of roles to this day. Yet, those who do apply to remote jobs are likely finding that ads offering that arrangement are scarce. The odds of hearing back from those employers are likely falling, too.”
–https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/ads-remote-jobs-disappearing-andrew-seaman/
🤷🏻♀️ I mean. You were warned.
According to LinkedIn: “Work’s getting less remote,” https://www.linkedin.com/news/story/works-getting-less-remote-5682076/
Better late than never on getting this reality out, I guess. 🤷🏻♀️
The return-to-office debate is heating up, with big names like Google and Citi announcing they will take note of who isn’t complying with their return-to-office requirements during annual review season. The main driver behind such a hard-line stance on more time in the office? Executives say face-to-face collaboration leads to better business outcomes. But remote jobs aren’t actually all that remote anymore. The latest research from WFH Research found that some fully remote employees actually seek out face-to-face time for more casual socialization and in-person collaboration. About 45% of remote employees meet up with their coworkers at least once a month — and 70% meet up with their coworkers once a year.
-LinkedIn, Ibid.
“But remote jobs aren’t actually all that remote anymore.”
Imma say it yet again, probably for the 10,000th time: if you wait to be “officially” told, you are waiting too late, IMO.
–https://causeyconsultingllc.com/2023/07/03/works-getting-less-remote/
Even Zoom – the ruiner of the basic phone call, IMO – has ordered people back.
“Working from home offered the chance for a great rebalancing of family, friendship and our careers. But the dream is fading fast . . . Zoom, the company that helped to usher in the age of remote work and which arguably benefited from the transition to remote work more than any other business, has now summoned its workers back to the office. To be fair, it has only asked staff living a ‘commutable distance’ to travel in at least two days a week but the announcement still feels symbolic.” -The Guardian, Ibid. (https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/aug/08/remote-work-over-zoom-ordered-employees-back-to-office)
–https://thejobmarketjournal.com/f/the-dream-is-fading-fast
As far as social media goes, LI has not been on the leading edge on these issues in my opinion. And the platform is rife with so-called, self-professed influencers who’ll try to convince you of anything if they think they can make a buck off of you. Agree? (LOL.) I still wonder WTH these people calling themselves remote work _____ gurus/whisperers/experts/advocates/unicorns/candy corns, etc., et al., are gonna do when the well runs dry for them? Just move on to the next trend and hope no one notices?
Data back up those frustrating experiences. LinkedIn’s Economic Graph recently reported in its State of the Labor Market newsletter that just 9% of job postings in July advertised remote work — down from 18% of postings just a year earlier. Despite that decrease, remote job ads received 44% of applications and 39% of views, suggesting that competition is increasing for these roles.
The result is that the pool of jobs offering people the chance to work full-time from home is shrinking while competition remains high.
–https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/ads-remote-jobs-disappearing-andrew-seaman/
Unfortunately, this matches what I am seeing day in and day out. The competition for remote jobs is fierce and if a manager is willing to make a role WFA-friendly, expect the floodgates to open. That’s not to say every applicant will be a qualified fit – decidedly not – but people are desperate to stay remote, so you will be inundated with applicants.
A number of variables, such as concerns about performance and real estate expenses, are likely causing employers to pivot away from remote jobs. One of the biggest and most powerful variables in that equation is the power dynamic between job seekers and employers.
Employers were desperate for talent as they tried to ramp back up their businesses in the immediate aftermath of the pandemic. Companies were forced to meet applicants’ demands, including for remote work, to get them hired.
-LinkedIn, Ibid. emphasis mine
Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeppppppppppp. *said as Dave on Storage Wars*
Let me put this down yet again:
–https://theintercept.com/2022/07/29/bank-of-america-worker-conditions-worse/
The system is not designed for John & Jane Q. Public. It’s designed for the fat cats and the cronies, not us. Periodt. If the Corpo America CEOs, banksters, and fat cats decide the balance of power needs to be with them, that’s what will happen. If you thought Americans lived in anything resembling a free market, well, I got some sad news for ya.
It’s all about money, not freedom. If you think you’re free, try going somewhere without money, okay?
-Bill Hicks
The fact also remains that remote work is still being advertised by some employers, meaning there are still opportunities to snag these coveted arrangements. The key is to be strategic about your job search but realistic that these roles are becoming increasingly scarce. Fortunately, hybrid opportunities are on the rise, meaning employers seem willing to meet applicants halfway on their demands.
-LinkedIn, Ibid.
Yeah, hybrid work. Whoopie. 😒 I’ve warned you on that one, too. It’s not difficult to imagine hybrid as a stepping stone to full RTO. Let’s be real: a lot of people are back, butt-in-seat, Monday – Friday anyway:
From the WFH Research LinkedIn cites:
“By May’23: 12% of Full-Time Employees Were Fully Remote, 59% Were Full-Time on Site, and 29% Were in a Hybrid Arrangement”
–https://wfhresearch.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/WFHResearch_updates_June2023.pdfWhatever someone’s take on RTO vs WFH might be re: isn’t it so much better this way, this information is pretty telling. In the survey’s results, 88% of people were either on-site full-time or were in a hybrid arrangement. This leaves only 12% of folks in a fully remote job.
The tide is turning. I don’t agree with it and I’m not telling you I endorse it. I’m telling you this is reality. As Jed Hill says: This is the present. It is the here and the now. Welcome to the land of You Don’t Have a Choice.
–https://causeyconsultingllc.com/2023/07/03/works-getting-less-remote/
Hmm. It’s almost like someone should have warned you a long time ago that hybrid was a stepping stone to full RTO. Oh wait! I did!
➡️ The article itself says people who want to RTO hit an all-time low last month, then turns around and claims that hybrid work is best. Sorry, I don’t buy that. This is the same work style being dubbed a “hell of half measures.” I have predicted this before and will do so again: I think for offices not wanting to be as mercenary as Lord Elon, we will see a push towards hybrid work. Then when most people aren’t happy with it and it feels disjointed, those offices will say, “OK, fine. No more remote work. You are to be here, butt-in-seat, Monday through Friday or there’s the door.”
Here’s what I see playing out. I think a lot of these companies- some of them will just say, “Look: RTO or it’s your job.” They’re gonna go the Elon Musk route and just say, “Look, you either come back full time, eight to five, Monday through Friday, butt in seat in the cube farm, or there’s the door. Oh, and by the way, we’re in a recession. So choose wisely.” They’re either going to do that, or they’re going to do this hell of half measures hybrid bullcrap of, “Well, OK, come on back two or three days a week, we’ll give you some flexibility. We’ll let you choose some of those days or all of those days, but you know, we’re going to be butt-in-seat two or three times out of the week.” When everybody starts to complain about how that’s not working – it’s too chaotic, it’s too weird – sometimes Sally’s here. Sometimes she’s not. Sometimes I see Billy on Tuesdays. Sometimes I see him on Fridays. Things are just chaotic. They’ll say, “OK, great. Come on back permanently. There’s no more work from home. There’s no more remote.”
–https://www.buzzsprout.com/1125110/11144066 published August 20, 2022Hybrid work, IMO, will likely be used as a stepping stone to full-on RTO. Wait and see.
–https://causeyconsultingllc.com/2022/08/23/i-told-you-so-%f0%9f%8e%b6/ published on August 23, 2022. & again in https://causeyconsultingllc.com/2023/07/05/turning-on-hybrid/
Do you have an RTO Survival Plan? If you’re still listening to some “influencer” who wants to convince you that remote work will go on forever, we can renew The Great Resignation, blah blah blah, you’re on your own.
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