The future of work: Employers, employees and the long road to compromise

More than a year into the coronavirus pandemic, employers and employees are searching for an answer: What does the future of work have in store? Despite agreeing a return will be gradual, these populations disagree on important points concerning the cadence of remote work and how to support a workplace in flux.

Bridging this communication gap will require continuous conversations about the role of technology, supportive employee benefits and safety strategies to ensure that business can thrive and employees can bring their best selves to work.

This study from Arizent — parent company of Accounting Today, American Banker, Bond Buyer, Digital Insurance, Employee Benefit News, Financial Planning, National Mortgage News and PaymentsSource — explores business attitudes around remote work and provides new insight into how both business leaders and employees are thinking about navigating work in the future.

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Key findings include:

• While the majority of employees would like to work remotely in the future, just one-third of employers envision a hybrid work environment for their organization one year out. In the meantime, employers do not plan to offer stipends or financial incentives to create functional at-home workspaces.

• Technology is a critical piece to ensuring business success, if employers can navigate challenges like security breaches and accessibility to high speed internet. Looking ahead, the majority of employers across all industries believe they will have the appropriate resources in place to navigate technology challenges.

• More must be done beyond COVID-19 to help vulnerable workplace populations like working parents and women. Flexible work, back up child care benefits and emergency childcare support should become commonplace.

• While employers have confidence that business will grow post-COVID, the reality will require more communication and safety protocols to help employees regain confidence with in-person work arrangements.