The COVID-19 pandemic has opened many industries to an exciting new world of remote working, and the utility industry is no different. Now more than ever before, we are finding that employers are actively hiring remote working designers and engineers or offering more flexibility to their current employees.
There are three main schedules we see across the industry at present.
Full-time remote work
Exactly what it says on the tin. Employees on this schedule will be in a 100% remote working capacity, with all the equipment provided for a home office by the employer. Generally, there will still be an element of travel if the role is client-facing.
Hybrid remote working
At the moment, this is the most common schedule we are seeing across the utility industry. The hybrid schedule generally consists of 2 days in the office and 3 days remote working or vice versa. We believe this will be the “new normal” over the coming years, with every employer following suit and offering at least a 1 remote working day weekly.
Full-time in the office
No change to the working schedules, and all employees are back in the office full time, just like it was before Covid.
We generally see the larger corporations having less fluidity with their working schedules, which is a risky long-term strategy. Many employees have enjoyed the freedom associated with remote work and have found new productivity and happiness levels. If their employer no longer offers a remote working compromise, candidates know that rival firms will, and may start exploring other options.
We have seen this cause a stir in the industry, with the primary beneficiary being small – medium-sized companies. They benefit from having a more flexible working schedule, with a less corporate approach, and are attracting the top talent fed up with being back in the office at an employer that is not open to change.
Times are changing! And unfortunately, if you don’t change with them, you will get left behind.
