remote workplace

To get to his office, Chris Pierce used to have to sit in traffic for an hour or two, each way, five days per week. The Global Director of Product Marketing at Alludo says, “I can’t imagine that what commute cost the environment, let alone my wallet. No more.”

Chris is one of the many people benefiting from Alludo’s permanent shift to a remote-first workplace. While other large companies have slid backward from a remote workplace into working back in the office, Alludo is holding firm—and being vocal about the many, many upsides.

Alludo gives employees the choice to work from one of our offices—because we’re all about doing what works best for you—but 95% of our employees have chosen to work remotely. This has made a huge impact on our ability to recruit, hire, and retain amazing people from all over the globe—people who otherwise would have been too far away from one of our offices to work for us.

The relatively low level of people in our offices mean that we can be very lean with our energy output at those offices. If we were accommodating our entire workforce in-office, we’d be expending exponential amounts of greenhouse gas emissions via the energy it would take to light, heat, cool, and manage waste from these spaces.

When we do consider a meeting or event, we first evaluate whether it can be held virtually. We only travel when it’s truly warranted, and in those cases, we encourage employees to utilize public transit.

And, as Chris’s experience emphasizes, we’ve removed hundreds of cars from the roads every single weekday. “Instead of once per week, I maybe have to fill my gas tank once per month now,” says PR manager Ashley Ruess.

Our remote-first workplace policy saves our employees money and dramatically reduces our collective carbon footprint. Meanwhile, we’re giving people something back, too: time. No commute means more time with family, more time to pursue hobbies, and more time to spend in the natural environment that we’re working so hard to preserve.

According to research, “If everybody able to work from home worldwide did so for one day a week, then global emissions could fall by 24 million metric tonnes of CO₂ a year.” We’re multiplying that times five days per week.

“I’m proud to work for a company that cares about both its employees and the environment,” said Iryna Wigley, VP of Global HR. “It’s a big deal to be able to eliminate commutes and unnecessary travel.”

With a major brand relaunch and employee campaign taking place in the middle of this permanent shift to a remote-first workplace, we’ve proven that we can stay connected without the carbon footprint. We’re now empowering other companies to embrace the same freedom and flexibility at work that we enjoy at Alludo, offering tools that allow employees to be engaged and productive in remote work environments. We’re honored to be part of the solution, amplifying the impact of our own choices to help companies around the world lower their environmental impact.

Learn more about our comprehensive ESG goals and aspirations.

You’ve heard of the Great Resignation and Great Adaptation. Now there’s what I’m calling a Great Divide. It’s about the disconnect between how employees (non-managers) want to experience the workplace right now, and how leaders are enabling that experience.

Anecdotally, this divide is clear. It’s wide and getting wider. But since we love data around here, we decided to establish the numbers behind it. Our remote work survey elicited thousands of responses and more than a few eye-opening stats. Here are some key results, and what leaders need to know right now:

The remote workplace isn’t as remote as many believe. Rumors of the ubiquitous remote workforce have, apparently, been exaggerated. Only 40% of non-managers who responded to the survey said that they have the freedom to work remotely. 

Leaders aren’t giving non-managers the same freedom they’re giving themselves. Leaders are significantly more likely to be able to work remotely than their non-manager counterparts (63% versus 40%).  

That imbalance extends to schedules, not just locations. Around three-quarters (74%) of non-managers reported that they no longer want to work the typical 9-5. However, 47% of them reported still having to do so. Once again, the picture is very different for leaders; only 31% of whom still have to work a standard 9-5 day. 

Leaders may be oblivious to the disconnect. It’s clear that non-managers aren’t getting the work setup they want. Worse, employers don’t seem to recognize the inequity. Alludo’s survey found that C-suite executives believe they have adapted to the new work landscape. Nearly six in 10 (58%) asserted that their company has changed the way remote and hybrid employees are managed.  

But non-managers disagree. Strongly. Roughly the same number (57%) of non-managers report that leadership has not changed their management style for the new work landscape. And 28% report that they’re micromanaged—a scenario that is a drain on leaders’ time and most definitely a detriment to retention and the employee experience. 

As these survey results quantify the scale of the issue, they also show us the stakes are enormous. Forty-four percent of non-managers reported being willing to change careers if they can’t secure the working conditions that work for them. 

While the talent market is undoubtedly shifting, two truths remain static: Top talent is perennially valuable, and losing top talent to turnover is costly. 

What happens next?

We’re already in a leadership crisis caused by this divide—the future is about getting past this crisis. Instead of lowering expectations or giving in, I believe in raising right expectations in the right way. That means shifting the focus to outcomes, not inputs. Hiring great people and giving them the freedom to work when, where, and how they want. Creating a culture of transparency and psychological safety instead of one of intimidation and micromanagement.

That’s a big part of what we’re doing at Alludo as we build the future of work (what we call Work3).

In my opinion, true leadership isn’t a product of getting people in a room to do what you want. It’s about dismantling the divide and envisioning a new way of working that lets people bring their A-game every day. For many, that’s a world that makes remote work a reality for everyone, not just the leadership team. This is about working better and living better. And it can drive results, too. It’s time to close the Great Divide.

This article originally appeared in Fast Company.