Employees Leaving... US Companies Concerned Over Extended Remote Work

Two Years of Remote Work System
Decreased Sense of Solidarity Leads to Job Change Decision

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] As the spread of COVID-19 continues unabated in the United States, the work-from-home system is expected to continue for nearly two years. The longer the work-from-home period lasts, the greater the difficulties in returning to the office, deepening the concerns of companies.

The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on the 22nd (local time) that "ride-sharing service Lyft has postponed returning to the headquarters until February next year." Lyft's headquarters in San Francisco will remain closed for 23 months since switching to remote work in March last year. Due to the spread of the Delta variant, U.S. companies are again delaying the expected office return date, which was anticipated for this fall. Apple, Amazon, and Facebook have postponed their return to work until January next year.

Financial companies, which were relatively negative about remote work compared to IT companies, are also delaying office returns. Insurance company Prudential Financial initially planned to resume office work next month but postponed it to late autumn, with the possibility of further delays.

Remote work is expected to continue for several more years. Pat Gelsinger, CEO of Intel, said, "If this were a temporary change, employees would quickly return to the old ways, but (remote work) is no longer a temporary working method," adding, "We cannot fully return to the past."

Companies are particularly concerned about employee turnover. Working in the office and feeling a sense of solidarity with colleagues reduces the likelihood of considering a job change. Rob Falzon, Vice Chairman of Prudential Financial, said, "As individual employees become disconnected from the organization, it becomes easier for them to decide to resign or change jobs," adding, "Since starting remote work, many employees have been receiving job offers from recruiters or acquaintances."

Some companies have begun offline employee management despite the normalized social distancing. Asset management company Corning recently postponed the return to the U.S. office until January next year but asked managers to help maintain connections with employees by having lunch or dinner with them.

Woody Bradford, CEO of Corning, said, "We need to view the company as a large organization," adding, "No matter how efficiently individual employees work from home, new employees who need to learn the company culture and work suffer more than necessary due to remote work."

As companies delay returning to the office, there is an analysis that this strengthens vaccination mandates. The New York Times reported that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will officially approve the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine on the 23rd.

Vivek Murthy, U.S. Surgeon General, said in an interview with CNN on the same day, "Once the Pfizer vaccine is officially approved, people who were hesitant about vaccination will get vaccinated, which will strengthen vaccination mandates in companies and schools."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.