A recent study from ResumeBuilder.com finds that in the age of return-to-office (RTO) mandates, business leaders seem to be prioritizing in-person work. The study finds that more than half (58%) of managers say in-person workers are better leaders and 76% say they are easier to train than remote workers. Only 13% think remote workers are better leaders and 15% think remote workers are easier to train.
Many managers (45%) see in-person employees are more accountable, while 31% think remote workers are more accountable. In terms of trustworthiness, 40% favor in-person employees and 26% think remote workers are more trustworthy.
“With the advent of remote work, managers have had to adapt to overseeing their teams without the traditional in-office presence,” says Stacie Haller, Resume Builder’s chief career advisor. “The old management techniques no longer apply effectively to a remote workforce, highlighting a need for new training and strategies. The shift has revealed that many managers lack the training and experience necessary to manage and motivate their staff when they can’t physically see them working. As a result, they tend to focus on managing those they see, where they feel they have more control and influence, often viewing remote workers less favorably.”
These are a few areas where managers are more likely to say in-person workers are doing better than remote workers. Additionally, 39% see in-person workers are more efficient than remote employees. Managers report remote workers having better attitudes, with 46% saying they are more positive than in-person employees.
More than half (56%) of managers say they care more about the growth of in-person employees, while 44% are neutral and just 1% care more about remote workers. Reasons managers care more about the growth of in-person employees include accessibility (61%), ability to build strong relationships with colleagues (60%), contribution to positive work environment (56%), ease of performance assessment (51%), personal familiarity (44%), trustworthiness (44%), increased competence (42%), and personal preference (33%).
A quarter (25%) of managers are more likely to fire remote direct reports. In comparison, 17% say the same of in-person workers, while more than half (57%) see no difference in their likelihood of firing workers.
Managers say they are more likely to fire remote workers because they need more supervision (54%), frequently miss deadlines (43%), and experience more technical issues (40%). Other factors include attendance issues (38%), negative attitudes (37%), and incompetence (36%). Additionally, poor leadership skills (35%), lack of personal familiarity (33%), lack of contribution to company culture (31%), and trustworthiness issues (30%) contribute to reasons why remote workers are more likely to be fired.
Managers explain that in-person workers are more likely to be fired because of missing deadlines (47%), poor time management (45%), needing more supervision (44%), or being incompetent (41%). Managers also cite involvement in office politics (38%), lack of trustworthiness (35%), poor leadership skills (38%), and personally disliking the employee (24%) as reasons for firing.
