It’s time to “de-normalize” remote work among young Americans
Alexandra Ahdoot (PPS ’25)
Despite efforts to shift back towards “normalcy” upon emerging from the height of the pandemic, one COVID staple that has stuck around is remote work — and its dangers only seem to be increasing.
While some may cite better work-life balance, lower stress, and increased flexibility as benefits of remote work, we cannot disregard the immense negative effects that remote work has on us as humans, the benefits of in-person work, and the policies companies can and should be implementing to get young workers back into the office.
A recent Gallup poll revealed a decline in actively engaged American workers since 2020, a trend more pronounced among younger workers. Workers’ social skills are deteriorating, career satisfaction rates are dropping, and ambition is diminishing, as people have come to rely too heavily on remote options that they deem the “new normal”.
It is time to curb these trends, and we must start by “de-normalizing” remote work among young Americans entering the workforce. Unless it is a profession that absolutely necessitates remote work, young Americans and college graduates should not be given the option to work remotely in their first job.
Remote work is harmful for many reasons. First, it minimizes many critical factors to physical and mental well-being. This is especially problematic among young people and recent college graduates entering the workforce. Our twenties are known to be “the defining decade”, a time of total newness, transformative ideas, and fresh relationships. In the remote workplace, much of this is forgone, giving rise to virtual friendships and isolationism.
Remote work hurts individual workers and companies by impeding social processes and making professional collaboration and mentorship harder. In fact, reliance on remote options can decrease work ethic, ambition, and engagement. A recent Qualtrics survey revealed that 36% of Americans say their career ambitions have decreased since the start of the pandemic and subsequent shift to remote work. Another survey by the American Bar Association showed that 44% of young lawyers would prefer to leave their jobs to work remotely elsewhere. We, especially in younger generations, should be required to work in-person to mitigate such negative effects.
On the other hand, in-person work experience improves health by leading to the development of a structured daily routine, maintaining the crucial division between work and home, and facilitating face-to-face interaction. In-person interactions allow colleagues to build profound relationships with one another, contributing to better company culture, greater individual happiness, and higher career satisfaction.
Executives at big tech companies including Salesforce and Meta have echoed these observations, emphasizing the need for in-person office interactions to improve productivity, efficiency, and company culture. They recognize that due to the increasing prominence of remote options, unique office dynamics are fading away from reality as people opt to spend more time behind a screen at home. Through in-person work, the office can and should be used as a place to develop social capital — the value that workers obtain from building networks — which is a crucial factor in company innovation.
The in-person work requirement for young American office workers and college graduates can be implemented through company-specific policies and return-to-office mandates, or as industry standards to create uniformity and commitment across the workforce. Already, many major companies are requiring employees to return to the office full-time or at least part-time. Additionally, companies must invest in incentives like social events and networking opportunities to promote worker engagement and develop a strong, authentic company culture. Not only will these policies and investments facilitate bonding, but they’ll reintroduce fun and enjoyment to the workplace.
Coronavirus hit when I was in high school. School became, to put it bluntly, a joke. Kids did their Zoom classes from bed, lost focus academically, and lacked motivation to be engaged remotely. At Duke, pre-professionalism dominates our culture — as a sophomore, I am already recruiting for post-graduation jobs — but the conversation around remote work is not any better here than it was in high school. Many of my friends still prefer to work from home, and I even know some who have forgone certain internship opportunities because they wanted to be remote.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for flexibility and a healthy work-life balance. But not to the extent that it prevents me and other young workers from having real, in-person interactions with our colleagues and developing crucial social skills that can benefit us in our long-term careers. Now, more than ever before, we need to minimize reliance on remote work and get young Americans back into the office.
Alexandra Ahdoot (PPS ’25) is from Great Neck, New York and is a Public Policy Undergraduate at Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy. This piece was submitted as an op-ed in the Spring ’23 PUBPOL 301 course. This content does not represent the official or unofficial views of the Sanford School, Polis, Duke University, or any entity or individual other than the author.
