Working from Home More of a Big-City Phenomenon

Easier commute, less congestion brings many smaller-city employees into the office.

As the working world adapts to hybrid, remote, and in-office schedules, it appears that employers who place greater emphasis on employee output and performance – rather than on inputs like the amount of time in the workplace – are succeeding most.

A study by WFH Research dated July 2022, said that when lifestyles were developed post-pandemic, many workers seem to think they could get away with not coming into the workplace as much as requested.

Today, though, “they recognize, however, that, if they want to keep their jobs, they’ll still have to show their manager they can deliver on their duties in a timely manner.”

The survey looked at several data points related to work arrangements, namely that working from home also seems to be more of a big-city phenomenon, with these top 10 markets New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington DC, the Bay Area, Boston, Dallas, Philadelphia, Houston, and Atlanta — have higher levels of working from home throughout its sample, and stable levels since mid-2021.

Beyond that, the next 50 largest cities show working from home occurs only slightly more than in those of smaller cities or towns.

Medium and smaller cities have shorter commutes and less traffic congestion, which could spur those locals to come to the office more, according to the report.

Age also plays a factor in wanting to work remotely. Among those who are able to, the desired amount of work from home (especially fully remote work) increases.

One-Third Say ‘Their Boss Would Do Nothing’ if Policy Not Followed

When it comes to following the company’s hybrid or work guidelines, 35% of respondents say their employer “would probably do nothing” if they or their coworkers failed to come in as many days as requested.

Half as many said their employer would do nothing if they consistently failed to complete work on time.

Workers were actually more likely to say they would be subject to verbal reprimands, negative performance reviews, threats of termination, or actual termination for consistently late work than from failing to come into the workplace, WFH found.