3fold Communications is using a hybrid of remote and in-office workers during the pandemic . Christie Pierce , media director , left ; Darrell Chambers , campaign manager ; and Taylor Toledo , planning director , at their coworking space in Sacramento . PHOTO BY FRED GREAVES
Giving employers more choices
Legally , employers can compel their staff to come back to the office full time as long as they ’ re taking reasonable measures to prevent COVID-19 ’ s spread in their space , Letizia says .
But in this labor market , reeling employees back in might not work . In a March – April 2021 FlexJobs survey of more than 2,100 remote workers , 60 percent of women and 52 percent of men said they ’ d look for a new job or quit if they weren ’ t allowed to keep working off-site . The majority also said remote work options are among the most important factors they ’ ll consider when evaluating a new job . “ Flexibility is king or queen for retention ,” says John of Valley Vision .
The flip side is that companies that stay remote can hire from anywhere . As hard as 2020 was , Von Sossan says that aspect of the pandemic will make 3fold a better company : They ’ re recruiting nationwide to fill positions and were able to keep two team members who moved to other states . “ The talent pool is amazing ,” she says , “ as long as you ’ re open to people not having to sit right in front of you to work .”
Steven Yoder writes about business , real estate and criminal justice . His work has appeared in The Fiscal Times , Salon , The American Prospect and elsewhere . Online at www . stevenyoder , net and on Twitter @ syodertweet .
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