The Power Balance Is Shifting
For the first time in decades, the odds are tipped in the employee’s favour. And we’re demanding our choices be heard.
4 May 2022
When I first made the decision to go freelance and work remotely last year, I recall being anxious to tell my mom that that was what I had decided to do.
My mom had been in Human Resources for 28 years, up until her retirement about 10 years ago, and had stressed often to myself and my siblings that job stability was, well, everything. That we cannot leave one job without having another in the bag.
I did not have another job in the bag, and there I was, choosing to leave a good job in Singapore to go freelance in Malaysia. So on one of our daily evening walks, I dropped the news on my mom, softening the blow by telling her that I had a steady stream of work. She was encouraging, and curious-- were they Singapore clients? Malaysian clients? How did that work, did I do everything over video? Email? Chat? What’s Google Docs?
I was surprised, I didn’t think she’d take it so well. Relieved, I started to relax a bit.
I said it really was a sweet gig, because there was no pressure from bosses and office politics, and I had time to myself once I met my deadlines. I could work at my own pace and take projects that interested and engaged me. No need to commute for hours everyday, or be robbed blind by parking operators in the Kuala Lumpur city center charging cutthroat fees.
Once I’d answered her questions to her satisfaction, she said, almost wistfully: “I wish I had that option when I was still at work.”
And it struck me then, that for the first time in decades, work as we know it is truly, well and truly, changing. And the most significant change, in my opinion, is that the power imbalance that always tipped in favour of the employer is finally shifting.
At the five-star KL hotel my mom worked at for 9 years, it was expected that everyone was in the office at 9am sharp, and it was expected that management (which she was, she was head of HR) work late, or stayed back for drinks and socialising.
As a working mother of three, that was not an option for my mom; she left the office at 5pm everyday to be back to cook dinner for us, and make sure we did our homework. She was always present for us, no matter what she faced at work.
And she was facing horrifying discrimination, bullying and toxicity at work: her boss was often abusive, shouting at her and at the staff, gaslighting her, and often leaving snide remarks about the way she dressed. When we kids were sick, she would have to beg for time off, which her boss held against her.
She bore the abuse, did her best for the company, and stuck to it-- she had mouths to feed. She could not afford to quit. Being jobless was not an option.
But the stress finally broke her, and as a result, it ruptured an aorta in her heart. After her heart surgery --she was off work for nearly a month to recover from open-heart surgery-- she was eventually pressured to resign. To this day, it leaves a bitter taste in her mouth when she talks about that job.
“I wish I had that option when I was still at work.”
Two years after the pandemic forced everyone to work from home, employers are realising that in these two years productivity has not suffered-- in fact, in some instances, it’s increased. There are numerous reports that corroborate this: here, here and here to quote a few.
And, a report showed that workers continue to be in favour of remote, or work-from-home, work: More than 95% of working people in Ireland want to continue with some form of remote employment once the pandemic ends. A total of 53% said they would like to work remotely several times a week, 32% said they would like to work fully remotely and one in ten said they would like to work from home several times a month.
The power imbalance is righting itself, slowly but surely-- employees are now demanding options, to be given the choice to do what’s best for them and what helps them be the most productive, whether it is to be fully-remote, hybrid or back to office.
The point here is that the old ways of work no longer apply, and any employer who refuses to open their hearts and ears to the voices of their employees will be left behind or end up obsolete.
In Ireland, the Right to Request Remote Work Bill is now being debated, and while we have our criticism of that Bill, it marks a significant tipping point.
The point isn’t that every job should be remote, we know that’s not possible. But where possible, the choice should be available, and employees who choose to remote work should be accorded the same support, access, promotions, and visibility as those who choose to be back-to-office.
I am not discounting the breadth and complexity of the effort it will take to make this choice available to employees. Visas, employment laws, wages, and taxes will be much more complicated, and it will be a tremendous effort to coordinate employees who are now scattered across 120 different countries, each country with different laws, and each employee with unique requirements and eligibility.
But the upside is worth the effort.
Employees report being more satisfied in work and life; more productive: In a study, full-time remote workers said they’re happy in their job 22% more than people never working remotely. Additionally, according to another study, 97% of full time remote employees would recommend remote work to others.
24% of workers report feeling happier when given the chance to work remotely. A survey of over 4,000 UK office workers by Microsoft and YouGov found that more than half (56%) felt they were happier when they were able to work from home.
I am not discounting either the particular problems of remote work: isolation, lack of visibility and connection, or the lack of a suitable home office. Some who live in densely-populated cities have precious little space, and parents often do report having a harder time managing between their children and work when working from home.
This is precisely why me and my partner started WorkRemoteBetter.com. We want to be able to help everyone optimise their remote work experience, whether it's through something simple as reviewing a standing desk, or through being a resource platform for remote workers to connect offline and online and get the support they need.
We also want to advocate and bridge the gap between employer and employee, to help remote workers and employers alike understand what it takes to come to a win-win solution, one where employees can be productive and happy, to no loss to the employer.
We do it so we can advocate for the right to have a choice, to have options-- options my mom never had, 15 years ago.
Hopefully, 15 years from now, remote work will cease to be a topic of conversation, and finally be a default option for employees everywhere.
