Young People Fancy Home Office Opportunities, Companies Do Not

Since the beginning of the pandemic, companies have found a variety of ways to continue  being productive and meet obligations. Working from home provided the ideal temporary solution. But where many thought this was here to stay, studies show that Mexican companies are reluctant to continue the flexible workplace, even though young employees favor the virtual office.

Despite the peak of the pandemic appearing to have passed, young workers and recent university graduates from Mexico are keen on keeping working remotely. This trend can be seen clearly for the country’s younger generations: as many as 86 percent of young adults are interested in remote work opportunities, the highest figure on the continent. However, only 5.7 percent of companies offer this way of working as a full-time employment modality.

In fact, most companies in Mexico oppose the modality as a permanent solution, favoring the hybrid working scheme that combines face-to-face and home office activities, albeit with a preference for the former. This is because corporations fear what they see as disadvantages of home office: a lack of community and teamwork, an absence of motivation and unmonitored performances, among other crucial factors.

Nevertheless, young employees firmly believe that working remotely can lead to increased productivity, causing less stress regarding commutes and granting independence regarding location, among other benefits.

Mercer's 2022 Global Talent Trends Study highlights that in the case of Mexico, 55 percent of people would change jobs if they could work remotely or under a truly flexible hybrid modality. However, 76 percent of Human Resources leaders are concerned about the impact of teleworking on the culture of the organization, as such knowledge is mostly transmitted in person.

The Ministry of Labor (STPS) estimates that 13 million people in the country would be able to work remotely, a large part of this group consists of young people. However, in reality is home office has once again become a privilege for the few.

This poses a problem for companies, which should not aim to simply please their employees if it harms their operations. At the same time, this represents another opportunity to build a better leadership model by rethinking the concepts like commitment and autonomy, as well as considering the value proposition of companies to attract the best young talent.