🇺🇸 The Pentagon embraces remote work

Good Morning,

With this issue, Remote Source officially passes one million total emails sent to subscribers. A huge thank you! 🙏 to each of you for reading and sharing these emails every week.

For those who don’t know, this began in 2017 as a modest newsletter sent to a few dozen people who wanted home office discounts.

Remote work, both in practice and theory, has come a long way since then. But it’s still truly in the early days with tons of room to grow.

And that’s what excites me most every time I sit down to write this newsletter.

So remember, no matter what out-of-touch executives, “loser” mayors, self-interested real estate investors, or click-bait articles say: remote work is here to stay, and in fact, it’s only increasing from here.

It’s what the people want.

Onward! 🚀

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Need to Know

🇺🇸 The Pentagon has a forward-thinking remote workforce
Other divisions of federal government, on both sides of the aisle, have called for more in-office work at various times in the last couple years.

But the Pentagon recently adjusted its telework policy to clarify their support for flexible work. And it will benefit them: the retention rate for federal workers who work remotely at least 3 days per pay period is 68%, versus 51% for those who cannot work remotely at all.

The final sentence in this excerpt catches the benefits well: “inclusive and strategic.” Flexible work isn’t just in place so employees are happier (even though that’s important and they are). With remote work, companies have access to more talent, which means better overall talent and results.

So I’m pleased to hear these important government positions aren’t limited only to candidates that live in the DC area. (The Hill)

🦖 Return to office mandates show "Dinosaur management”
Dell, Amazon and more are calling workers back in with more strict office policies, reflecting outdated management mindsets.

What’s worse: several of these companies are now publicly stating that employees who don’t comply with the office requirements will not be considered for promotions.

It’s becoming very clear, unfortunately, that these policies are thinly-veiled layoff rounds. When layoffs are announced, stock goes down. But companies like Dell know that they can remove a small, non-essential percentage of their workforce if they push away employees using a return-to-office policy. (Business Insider)

😲 Return to office is backfiring
It’s an open secret that CEOs consider RTO a “two birds, one stone” scenario, reducing their workforce while satisfying their inner micromanager needs. But it hasn’t been taken well.

AT&T, Goldman Sachs, SAP, and Bank of America are just a few of the major companies who have damaged trust by enforcing these policies. It’s no surprise that loyalty is low and there are higher levels than ever of people openly looking to change jobs.

Jessen says if companies implement these policies without taking employee preferences into consideration, then their best talent, and disproportionately high levels of female and millennial employees, will continue to leave. (Washington Post)

📊 From HBR, 9 trends that will shape work in 2024:

1. Organizations will offer creative benefits to address the costs of work.
   For example: housing subsidies and financial well-being programs.

2. AI will create, not diminish, workforce opportunity.
   Many employees are nervous that AI will take their jobs, but it may be more likely that their responsibilities just shift with AI as a tool at their disposal.

3. Four-day workweeks will move from radical to routine.
   This one has been surprisingly prevalent. Similar to remote work, there are already several studies claiming no productivity loss when companies move to 4-day weeks.

4. Employee conflict resolution will be a must-have skill for managers.
   This year might have more workplace conflict than ever before, given geopolitical issues, labor strikes, DEI efforts, and more.

5. GenAI experiments will yield hard lessons and painful costs.
   Expect AI to enter into the “trough of disillusionment” phase, as reality will fall short of over-hyped expectations built up in the past year.

6. Skills requirements will overtake degree requirements as the “paper ceiling” crumbles.
   Far fewer companies require degrees in their job applications than just a few years ago.

7. Climate change protection becomes a new employee benefit.
   More organizations are making “climate change disaster response plans” part of employee benefit packages.

8. DEI won’t disappear; it will become more embedded in the way we work.
   Interesting point given the recent DEI layoffs at Zoom and elsewhere; but while titles go away, the concepts themselves may have staying power.

9. Traditional stereotypes of career paths will collapse in face of workforce change.
   More employees have taken career breaks, and more employees expect to take career breaks, than ever before. Plus, employers have offered more gig work, returnships, and rotational programs. Expect employers to find more ways to fit into employees’ lives, not the other way around.
   

As remote work pushes forward, it will be interesting to see how it overlaps with and impacts these trends. (Harvard Business Review)

📺 Remote work makes sense in media industry
Peter Bergen, CNN’s national security analyst, has had an extensive media career. He argues in this opinion piece that remote work makes complete sense in his industry.

He’s now there for his kids in ways he couldn’t be in “the era of the office,” and his cross-country team can collaborate effectively from anywhere without compromise. Always refreshing to see forward-thinking perspectives like this from prominent industry veterans. (CNN)

Stuff We Like

🛩 Bonnie Dilber’s newsletter, Landed!
She’s an expert recruiter and a top voice on LinkedIn. Whether you’re actively looking for a job or passively watching the job market, her tips are sure to help you land a role that’s right for you. Check it out here, or subscribe by clicking the button below.

🫡 How to show you’re a leader
Career growth is different for remote workers; if you want to prove you’re worthy of leadership roles, this TED article has some great advice to help you develop and showcase your abilities.

💰 Salary negotiation trick
Former Goldman Sachs recruiter Chanelle Howell gives advice to maximize your offer once you’ve found out the salary range that’s expected for a given role (a listed salary range is legally required in many states now).

After learning what they look for in their best candidates, highlight your relevant experiences in any future conversations, helping the recruiter justify why you deserve to be paid at the highest level possible. (CNBC)

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