Working remotely is a hot-button issue in recent years as the workforce emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic and labor markets continue to adjust, reconciling the associated costs and benefits incurred by both employers and employees.
As some large US employers are requiring staff to return to the office five days a week, others have adapted to a hybrid or partially remote work setting. These policies impact employees and beg the question: What tradeoffs do employers face when setting work-from-home policies? A recent surge of research on remote and hybrid work settings can help organizations draw broader conclusions and inform their ability to develop fully remote and/or hybrid work policies. This research offers employers a wealth of information on the costs and benefits of remote and hybrid work.
This Labor & Employment Literature Watch is the first in a three-part series reviewing recent economic research on remote and hybrid work. Each part concludes with tips for employers to consider when developing policy for work settings.
In Part 1 we summarize the research on changes in worker preferences towards remote work and evidence of corresponding shifts in the labor market.
