Office Workers Wanting Remote Work Search This Word on Google [Jjinbit]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] "I'm not feeling well.", "Something urgent came up at home...", "There’s a problem with my car that I need to fix."

These are the kinds of responses that appear when you search on the world's largest search engine, Google. What search query would yield such answers? It’s “realistic excuses to use when trying to call in sick.” It seems American office workers are looking online for excuses to skip work. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the frequency of such searches has surged significantly starting last year.

Bloomberg reported on the 29th of last month (local time), citing data analyzed by Frank Recruitment Group, a global tech talent recruitment firm. According to the report, the number of Google searches in the U.S. for excuses to avoid going to work dropped sharply from 300,000 in 2018 to 110,000 during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, but then surged to 1.9 million last year and 2.2 million this year. That’s about a sevenfold increase over four years.

Rowan O’Grady, Frank Recruitment Group’s North America head, said, “The sudden increase in search volume since last year is interesting,” adding, “It coincides with the time when office returns began, which is not an easy transition for everyone.” Jjinbit has reported several times on conflicts between management and employees over returning to the office. This suggests that employees who don’t want to go back to the office have been looking for excuses.

◆ 'Remote Work' Searches Rise Again with the Endemic Phase

Google’s search volume is a candid indicator of what users are currently interested in. Everyone has experienced opening a search bar without hesitation when curious about something. There have even been analyses suggesting that Google Trends predicted future outcomes on issues where public opinion polls missed the mark, such as former U.S. President Donald Trump and Brexit (the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union).

(Photo by WEF, Quartz website)

During the COVID-19 pandemic, searches related to remote work exploded. According to reports from the World Economic Forum (WEF) and U.S. online economic media Quartz last August, when global Google search volume for “remote work” was normalized to a maximum of 100, it suddenly surged from around 20 to 100 starting in March 2020. This spike coincided with the rapid spread of COVID-19, global lockdowns, and social distancing measures.

Interest in remote work, which was around 50 to 60 in the latter half of that year, has surpassed 80 out of 100 this year and surged again to an all-time high of 100. Although the spread of COVID-19 has relatively subsided to the point of being called an endemic, interest in remote work is actually expanding further. Quartz noted that while people initially searched simply to figure out how to perform remote work during the early stages of the pandemic, the current increase in searches reflects a deeper engagement with the topic.

◆ "Flexibility Will Become a Matter of Corporate Survival"

Interest in remote work among office workers continues unabated. However, amid growing concerns about an economic downturn in the U.S. and layoffs by big tech companies like Amazon and Apple, doubts are emerging about how long companies can maintain remote work. Even in the U.S., where the “Great Resignation” movement occurred during the pandemic, if the labor market cools and the balance of power shifts toward management, employees may have no choice but to return to the office.

As a result, the gap in views between management and employees seems to be widening. LinkedIn, a job search social network service, reported in its “Global Talent Trends” report last month that the proportion of U.S. job postings including remote work options dropped significantly from a record 20% in February to 14% in September. However, during the same period, the share of applicants applying to companies offering remote work increased from 50% to 52%. This means that while management is trying to reduce remote work options, applicants are actively seeking them.

Josh Graff, LinkedIn’s director, told CNBC, “The pandemic drove a shift toward flexible work initiatives supported by employees, but the balance of power is now shifting back to employers.” He emphasized, “Companies that try to step back from promoting remote and flexible work risk demotivating employees and losing them to competitors. Flexibility will increasingly become a matter of corporate survival.”

Editor's Note[Jjinbit] is short for ‘Jeong Hyunjin’s Business Trend’ and ‘Real Business Trend.’ It is a segment showcasing trends in ‘work’ such as organizational culture and HR systems changes after the pandemic. Based on analyses from foreign media and major overseas institutions that have not received much attention, we aim to deliver fresh and differentiated information and perspectives.