Where HR thought leaders would once conjure their crystal balls to opine on the “future of work”, employees, managers, and executives alike have been abruptly thrust into a reality where employees are more distributed than ever before. The global pandemic has shown that remote and distributed work is not only a viable way to get work done, but for some, is a preferred way of working. Many businesses have opted to permanently reduce office space, and adopt “work from anywhere” policies. While embracing the flexibility of remote work may be appealing, there are challenges that come hand in hand with a workforce that is more mobile than ever before. From compliance concerns to employee experience, organizations and employees must adapt if they want to make flexibility and agility the norm while still providing great employee experiences.
Opportunities Make for Great Employee Experience
What do employees want in a great work experience? An amazing office is even less important now that remote work has become the norm.
- 53% of employees say the opportunity for career growth and development through training, job rotation, or international assignments create an exceptional employee experience.
- 50% say trust and job empowerment make for a great employee experience.
- These two switched #1 & #2 spots compared to just a year ago.
In contrast to last year’s survey the number of employees giving their organization a perfect 10 in delivering exceptional employee experience has more than doubled from 6% to 14%, likely indicating a job well done in supporting the transition to remote work.
High Enthusiasm for Remote Work Employees said the flexibility to work remotely is now the second most important attribute when evaluating a potential employer—behind only high pay and ahead of both professional development and culture.
- 91% of employees agreed that they should be able to work from wherever they want as long as they get their work done.
- 82% of employees now agree that “Teams should be built based on experience and skill sets needed, not location.” 90% of HR professionals concur.
- 94% of HR professionals believe that increased remote work will enable them to build more diverse teams.
Tax Compliance is a Big Blindspot
Despite the enthusiasm for remote work, enterprises are unprepared from a compliance standpoint. A significant portion of employees fail to report when they work outside their home state or country, even though the majority know there are tax and immigration implications of doing so.
- 93% of HR professionals are confident they know where the majority of their employees are working, and 78% are confident their employees self-report when working in another state or country.
- In reality, only 33% of employees report all days worked outside their home jurisdiction, and 24% reported none at all, even though 61% are aware of the tax compliance implications.
Location Tracking is Welcome
Perhaps contrary to popular opinion, employees are very willing for their employer to track working location.
- 94% of employees are comfortable with an employer tracking their location at the country, state, and city level.
- Even 81% would be comfortable with location tracking down to the street level.