Originally published in Business Today

With the COVID-19 pandemic bringing unprecedented changes in work life, a study has revealed that 82 per cent respondents admitted that they prefer working from home to going back to the office. The remote work trend was initially forced on employees due to the pandemic, however, after two years remote working has become a new normal and as things settled down new habits have formed, according to the Tech Talent Outlook by job site SCIKEY.

The study revealed that 82 percent of respondents admit that they prefer working from home to working from the office.

The Talent Tech Outlook 2022 study is an analysis of inputs from 100 plus C-suite and human capital leaders across four continents, done by SCIKEY through surveys, social media inputs, interviews and panel discussions.

The study further revealed that 64 percent employees said they are more productive working from home and feel less stressed.

The new normal for HR shifted from engaging face to face to engaging with remote employees whom they meet only virtually most of the time, it stated.

More than 80 percent of the HR managers admitted that hiring employees for full-time office presence is getting more difficult, the study said.

Working from home is no longer a choice but a new normal that every tech talent expects from their employer and the employers not willing to adapt will face challenges in hiring good talent and retaining those already employed, it observed.

The tech workforce has found new love with remote working, giving them freedom and productivity that requires HR to be more trusting, it said adding that unengaged or underutilised employees will find alternatives faster and exit faster than pre-pandemic times.

"It is interesting to observe how the fast-evolving 'Future of Work' is getting past the world of conventional HR and transforming into an ecosystem that now involves people beyond the confines of company payroll and office boundaries. Welcome to the world of remote work, the gig economy, and the power of the crowd that is waiting to be explored before it explodes," SCIKEY founder and CEO Karunjit Kumar Dhir said.

Download your free Tech Talent Outlook 2022

Technology is already moving swiftly to change the way companies engage with their employees and get a deeper, more meaningful engagement to everyone's advantage, he added.

Meanwhile, the study found that only 18 percent of tech hiring managers are looking at using psychological assessment as a part of the hiring process in 2022, down from 68 percent in 2019.

Since remote is the new normal the offices too will become more occasional meeting places and alternate workplaces, the study stated.

More than 67 percent of companies admit that hiring talent with office-only working conditions has become increasingly difficult, it said.

However, two years of remote working has given a sense of new flexibility that benefits both employers and employees, it added.

The study said more than 70 percent of HR and Tech managers admitted that giving on the spot or quick awards for a job well done is more important to retain a workforce that is scattered and needs that 'little' motivation regularly.

Over 36 percent of the respondents have already initiated quick rewards as their model to engage and retain their talented workforce, it added.