[Initial Insight] Returning to Daily Life... What Remote Work Has Left Behind

[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Hyung-gil] "If you want to work remotely, leave the company"

One day about six months ago while working from home, I saw the content of an email that Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, reportedly sent to his employees, and a sense of unease crossed my mind. It felt like the work-from-home arrangement that had been ongoing for over a year was about to end soon, and an unavoidable "return to normal life" was coming for us as well.

Sad premonitions are rarely wrong. Our society is rapidly regaining the daily life lost due to the COVID-19 pandemic to the extent that the indoor mask mandate is expected to be lifted before the Lunar New Year holiday. Although confirmed cases continue to appear, overseas travel has resumed. As gatherings with relatives and acquaintances, cultural events, and concerts that had been avoided increase, the joy of meeting is also expected to grow.

Companies are ending work-from-home policies and switching back to commuting. Office workers who used to open their laptops at home or coffee shops during the COVID era now have to return to the office.

With work-from-home signaling the rise of flexible work arrangements such as hub offices or combining work with vacations known as "workation," new business opportunities seemed to open for travel agencies, accommodation industries, shared office companies, and local governments. However, the market's blossoming phase appears to be postponed for the time being, which is regrettable. We hope discussions on various work styles will continue.

Some people are expressing anxiety about the shift back to face-to-face life. The MZ generation, accustomed to communication via text or messenger, experiences "call phobia," stress from phone calls, so their discomfort is understandable.

Office workers also raise complaints about returning to commuting. IT companies that are sincere about employee welfare are caught in even greater turmoil. Kakao, known as a "god-tier workplace," declared a complete halt to work-from-home starting March, and the increase in labor union membership since then is a matter worth considering. While employees likely did not join unions simply because work-from-home ended, it appears to be a move raising communication issues and concerns about gradual welfare reductions during the transition of work systems.

Other companies face similar situations, though not as intense as Kakao. A survey conducted last month targeting office workers showed that 4 out of 10 respondents said their company had policies or announcements to shorten or end work-from-home and return to the office. With added concerns about economic recession, ending work-from-home is being transformed into a measure to improve work efficiency.

American companies are also discontinuing work-from-home policies and ordering employees to return to the office. The world's largest entertainment company, Walt Disney, requested employees to come to the office four days a week starting March, and well-known asset management firm Vanguard Group and Paycom Software also issued guidelines to increase office attendance or follow the existing hybrid model combining office and work-from-home.

The experience of changing the rigid work environment triggered by COVID may all disappear. Now, as mask removal and return to daily life approach, why not take this opportunity to reflect on work-from-home? Objectively reviewing how work efficiency or performance changed due to work-from-home and discussing changes in work methods from scratch could be a good approach.