Two-thirds of professional service firms stop advertising fully remote roles

Published: 12 September 2024 | by: Personnel Today

Two in three (64%) professional service firms have stopped advertising fully remote roles, while nearly one in four (23%) have increased employee office days in the past 12 months.

Research by Robert Walters also revealed that 42% of hiring managers in the industry are “willing to wait” for an applicant who is prepared to regularly commute to work.

The findings from the global talent solutions company, which surveyed 500 UK professional services firms, also showed that almost one in five (18%) bosses would not be against linking pay and promotions to workplace attendance.

They come at a time when the number of fully remote positions advertised has reached an all-time low. According to LinkedIn data, the percentage of remote jobs posted on the site has dropped significantly in the past 12 months. In the UK, they have fallen by more than 13% since February 2023 — a bigger decline than in France, Germany and the Netherlands.

Gerrit Bouckaert, CEO of Robert Walters, said: “Looking back to the jobs market a few years ago and employers were desperate for talent as they tried to navigate the post-pandemic bounce back. Companies were forced to meet applicants’ demands, which included accommodating remote work.

“Fast forward to 2024, and the power dynamic has shifted back in favour of employers — who have introduced a range of changes including true flexibility in hours, hybrid working, office refurbs, enhanced digital infrastructure, as well as endless soft perks such as free lunches. With that, employers want some give and take — and it seems the ‘take’ is fully remote working.”

But Robert Walters is warning employers not to ‘jump on the bandwagon’ by ordering a full office return because the impact on productivity isn’t yet clear and says doing so may also affect talent attraction and retention.

Bouckaert said: “What has been interesting to observe is the U-turn from big firms — such as Meta — which have typically led the way on workplace trends including being early adopters of remote working.

“Given it is too early to tell whether this method will result in increased productivity, other organisations should be mindful of jumping on the bandwagon of a full return-to-office, without considering the impact this will have to your ability to attract and retain employees.”

The survey showed that in the past 12 months, nearly one in four (23%) of firms had increased the number of mandatory in-office days by at least one day, while almost one in five (19%) are having ongoing discussions about whether to make It compulsory for staff to be in the office four or five days a week.

The research also discovered a ‘top-down approach’ to workplace returns, with managers being asked to do more in-office days than their teams.

Gerrit added: “While I am a complete advocate for management leading from the front, a ‘one size fits all approach’ to working practices does not lend itself well to diversity or inclusion.

“For example, with hybrid (or remote) working, managers who are working parents or carers get to reap the benefits of increased time with family whilst continuing to do their job effectively. Forcing them back into the office could be a significant disruption to their family life — both personally and financially if you consider childcare.”