The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a significant increase in remote work opportunities, but these opportunities are unevenly distributed across the workforce. Employees with higher pay, more education, and more experience are much more likely to have the option to work from home, while those with lower pay, less education, and less experience rarely enjoy this benefit. To address the resulting tensions and perceptions of unfairness, managers should acknowledge the divide, align their own working arrangements with those of their employees, consider alternative options like a 4-day work week for onsite staff, and potentially offer one-time pay adjustments to compensate employees who cannot work remotely.

Check Out More from Steven J. Davis:

Read "Americans Now Live Farther From Their Employers" by  Steven J. Davis, Jose Maria Barrero, Nicholas Bloom, Mert Akan, Tom Bowen, Shelby Buckman, Luke Pardue, Liz Wilke here.
Listen to "The Political Economy of Populism: A Conversation with Elias Papaioannou" with Steven J. Davis and Elias Papaioannou here.
Listen to "The Power of Proximity: A Conversation with Emma Harrington On Remote Work" with Steven J. Davis and Emma Harrington here.

Be sure to visit The Hoover Institution at https://www.hoover.org/ and PolicyEd at https://www.policyed.org/

The opinions expressed in this video are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Hoover Institution or Stanford University. © 2024 by the Board of Trustees of Leland Stanford Junior University.