Dive Brief:

• Indeed employees may work remotely on a permanent basis, "even after COVID-19 shelter in place orders subside," the Connecticut and Austin-based company said in an Oct. 1 statement.
• While the company moved its 10,000 employees remote as a result of the pandemic, and previously announced employees were free to work remotely through July 2021, it is now making the remote option permanent.
• Indeed is grouping its jobs into three categories: remote, hybrid and full-time in the office, saying that the "vast majority of employees" will qualify for either hybrid or fully remote. Other employees still will not be called back to the office until at least July 2021, the statement noted.​

Dive Insight:

"While remote work is not ideal for everyone, what we’ve learned is that our employees can be equally productive working at home, and that flexible work options give us a better quality of life," Indeed’s statement said. 

While experts, leaders and employees may disagree on remote work productivity and the ability to collaborate with co-workers, more employers will likely offer remote work as an option even after the pandemic subsides, many studies have indicated. For example, LinkedIn reported that remote job openings had almost tripled from March to July and a Gartner survey of corporate leaders found that 80% plan to allow remote work in some capacity after the pandemic-driven shutdowns are over. 

On the flip side, JP Morgan was one of a few financial services companies to bring employees back to the office, though it did see positive cases and then send some employees back home. 

The flexibility afforded by remote work has also been a driver of workplace equity and belonging. At NPR, applications for internships rose from 2,597 for 55 openings in 2019 to 20,520 applications for its 27 remote fall internships, the media company reported. The tech industry is also working through its options now that some well-paid employees look to flee expensive, crowded cities, especially during the pandemic. 

Flexibility has been important for working parents, as the pandemic has taken a significant toll on working women, who are disproportionately affected by the burdens of childcare, according to a survey from Cleo. Strategies employers are using include extra time off, childcare reimbursements, and virtual "summer camps" or similar activities and benefits for children. Mathematica even made telehealth services for mental health available to children of employees over the age of 13. 

Experts also warn that flexibility should be fair and that "everyone has been impacted," according to one company CEO. "Every situation has some level of disruption," Michael Weiner, director of EY's employee assistance program, told HR Dive.