Major NJ company ends summer Fridays and remote work — Yours next?

💻 New data reveals managers and workers are aligning on remote work

💻 There are many benefits of flexibility in the workplace

💻 It's important that managers implement effective hybrid work policies

A Jersey City company is pulling the plug on Summer Fridays, just as the long Labor Day holiday weekend is approaching.

The boss at Goldman Sachs recently told his staff that the Wall Street investment firm will crack down on those who are not at their desks five days a week, according to the NY Post.

While there will be flexibility when needed, employees must be in the office Monday through Friday.

Goldman’s was described as “totally dead” on Fridays now that interns have gone and a large number of employees decided to work remotely, sources told The Post.

One employee told the publication he has no plans to follow the five-day-a-week-in-person office policy.

This leads to the question:

“Are more jobs ending remote work?”

Not according to the latest survey from Robert Half. The latest research shows that U.S. managers and employees may finally be aligning on the state of remote work.

Both employers and professionals now feel that a hybrid workplace, with a combination of remote and in-office work, is the ideal work model, said Robert Half Regional Director, Dora Onyschak.

The survey found 53% of managers want a hybrid team, meaning a combination of remote and in-office work and 44% of workers also want a hybrid team, she said.
There is still an overwhelming difference in regard to those who want to work fully remotely.

Only 7% of managers want a fully remote team, while 22% of employees would like to work fully remotely, Onyschak added.

As far as being in the office full-time, 41% of employers are in favor of it, according to the survey, and 34% of professionals said they would prefer to work in the office full-time.

What are the benefits of flexibility in the workplace?

“Retention, retention, retention. The more flexibility that you can have, the better you are to retain your staff,” Onyschak said.

65% of professionals said they have more effective relationships with their colleagues when they are in person and have met them face-to-face, versus those that they have not.

58% of Gen Z workers (those 24 years old and younger) fear that too much remote work could negatively impact their ability for career growth opportunities, Onyschak said. So, they are looking for more in-person days with a purpose.

Training, mentoring, and collaboration are easier done in person versus virtually. It’s up to the organization to make the hybrid work model effective, to make it engaging for employees, and to make it so employees want to come into the office, she said.

How can companies implement effective hybrid work policies?

Communication is key, Onyschak said. Managers must communicate to workers why it’s important, and what the benefits are to the employees, and not just the organization. This includes flexibility.

“By that to me, flexibility is not just come in three days a week, but it’s also if you have to come in at 8:30 instead of 8 o’clock, that’s OK,” Onyschak said.

Managers need to be aware of “proximity bias” which is the unconscious favoring of employees that they see on-site all the time, versus those who only work remotely. Managers must be sure they are providing opportunities for both of those classes of employees, she added.

Hold team building sessions. Onyschak said it’s very easy for the team to become isolated if some are working in the office, some are working remotely, and some are not in the office at the same time as others. Scheduling regular team building activities or having “community days” where everyone comes in on the same days to take advantage of that in-person time, are some ways that managers can engage the employees.

“I think it’s great that it finally seems to be balancing itself out and both sides are seeing the benefits of a hybrid model versus all or nothing,” Onyschak said.

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