SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - Working from home — it’s one of the most drastic changes for many Americans during the coronavirus pandemic.
"It wasn't my preference in the beginning. I was accustomed to going into the office five days a week. So suddenly being shifted to home five days a week was a really sizable change,” said Kat Flores, who is still working from home in San Jose.
Flores, who works for a Bay Area tech company, is headed to San Diego after she applied and was approved to be fully remote and relocating with her current position. She's one of many who say working remotely is quickly becoming a trend that's turning into an expectation for employees.
"Ever since COVID started, what we've seen candidates are really only taking remote or hybrid jobs,” said Louis Song, CEO of Proven Recruiting in San Diego. "To be competitive in this market, companies really do have to be hybrid at the minimum or provide remote work opportunities. You know, as a recruiting firm, we rarely work with companies now that require candidates or employees to be 100 percent on-site."
For Flores, that flexibility is the main benefit.
"Over the last two years, we have adjusted to it. I do now prefer to be remote and then also to be living closer to family,” Flores said.
For Song, remote work has also changed how production is viewed in the workplace.
"I think the biggest thing that coming to fruition is the idea of being productive. How productive are you, can you produce the work rather than did you do the hours,” Song said.
Song said that there are some industries that can’t do remote or hybrid work. Those industries would require hands-on duties to do the given job.
It's been two years since many people's homes became their office. Some hope and feel it's a concept that's here to stay.
"Some of the commutes and the schedules that we were operating in prior to COVID just now looking back seem really unreasonable,” Flores said.
"I think as companies look into the future, for those that aren't willing to provide remote work, at least on a hybrid basis, yeah, I think they're just missing out,” Song said.
