Millennials want to commute rather than work remotely, survey says

Contrary to what many studies have shown over the last couple of years, millennial employees would rather drive into the office, instead of work remotely. Why do you think this is? Maybe it’s a lack of technological resources or maybe because they don’t feel confident enough to work autonomously; whatever the reason is, it seems that in-person interactions do provide value to employees even in today’s digital world.

Flexible working schedules and remote working opportunities have been at the top of the most sought-after benefits from a company in a decade. Employees want to be able to choose when and where they work, or at least be given the option to choose. However, even when given the option, millennials will still likely choose to work in the office. According to The Pew Research Center, the oldest millennial birth year was 1981, which makes the oldest of the generation to be 37 in 2018. Given that they may have roughly 20 years of experience in a corporate setting, they still might feel that they have a lot to learn from their elder counterparts. Some other potential causes are that they may not feel confident enough in their roles to work without slight supervision or they may not feel comfortable enough to communicate with their colleagues solely via text, instant messaging or phone.

One thing is clear: employees want the option to work remotely and be agile but may not always take advantage of the opportunities to do so. It’s expected that this mindset will change in the future for millennials as they gain confidence in the work that they do, but the cycle will likely remain the same for the next generation of employees. As technology advances and allows further abilities to work remotely, employees will be able to find efficiencies and will see that they are more productive, creative and more satisfied with their jobs by having to ability to strike a work-life balance. What can your company do to ensure success in the future? Continue to adapt to your employees’ needs and offer flexibility for differing working styles and preferences.