The belief that remote workers will be the first let go if a company’s bottom line takes a hit has been officially debunked.
With all the fuss about return-to-office (RTO) mandates over the last year or more, many remote workers felt uncertain about their job security — to say the least.
Only 16% of remote companies laid off workers last year. (Photo by Liza Summer on Pexels)
Many feared — and some high-profile individuals even publicly predicted — that remote workers would be the first to lose their jobs if a company started laying workers off.
This led a lot of remote workers to worry about their fate and even put in double duty on their jobs, bending over backwards in an attempt to secure their positions.
Thankfully, new data has emerged, finding those fears to be mostly unfounded.
According to a new study from business advice website Startups.co.uk, remote jobs actually statistically laid off the fewest workers in the UK last year — less than half the percentage than fully in-office jobs did.
Remote jobs in the UK have the lowest layoff rates
Startups.co.uk surveyed some 546 UK businesses for its study.
WFH is cost-effective for employees and employers. (Photo by William Fortunato on Pexels)
It found that 38% of the companies who were fully in-office made staff cuts last year. Of the companies that were hybrid, with staff working remotely just some of the time, 30% made staff cuts.
In comparison, just 16% of the businesses that were fully remote made staff cuts last year.
Already, those figures show that your chance of being axed if you work remotely at least part of the time is actually lower than if you work in person full-time.
But Startups.co.uk also found more data that confirms remote jobs are more stable than in-person jobs.
“Startups' research pinpoints working from home (WFH) as the most cost-effective shield against layoffs,” the group noted.
“Shrinking or ditching office space means companies can save on one of their highest expenses while maintaining a stable workforce.”
Remote work expected to “explode” this year
More companies are looking to downsize their offices this year. (Photo by Photo by MART PRODUCTION on Pexels)
Startups also predicted that more UK businesses will go partially or fully remote this year, with more data to back up those beliefs.
While 80% of UK businesses said they are actively planning to hire more staff this year, 66% of the business leaders who responded to the survey said they want to embrace a flexible work model in 2024.
Just under 30% also said they plan to downsize their offices this year, either opting for a smaller workspace or getting rid of their physical office entirely.
This shows that despite the RTO drama, many more companies realise the value of remote work and plan to keep it.
Find the latest remote jobs in the UK via RemoteWorker.co.uk.
