While there are benefits of having employees on-site, the limited workplace flexibility at some companies following the COVID-19 pandemic can affect not only employees but also organizations’ retention and attraction efforts.
It’s no secret that one of the biggest ways the American workplace has changed since the COVID-19 pandemic is that it’s become more flexible, with hybrid and fully remote work arrangements. Lately, however, that flexibility has taken a hit at some companies, affecting not only employees but also the employers looking to retain them as well as attract new talent.
According to a fourth-quarter report from Flex Index, which tracks workplace flexibility trends, fully flexible workplace models are becoming less popular, while structured hybrid models are increasing in prevalence. Those structured models can include requiring employees to spend a minimum number of days or specific days in the office.
“It increasingly looks like three days per week in the office will become the dominant model for most U.S. firms,” the report noted.
Similarly in the life sciences, employers are not as flexible as they were a few years ago, according to BioSpace survey data. Still, flexible opportunities remain. The Flex Index report noted that 69% of healthcare and biotechnology companies offer work location flexibility, ranking those groups in the middle of the industries Flex tracks.
And we could be seeing more opportunities return. BioSpace’s 2025 U.S. Life Sciences Employment Outlook report found that among respondents to a survey late last year, more companies were open to recruiting and hiring remote employees regardless of location compared to 2023, and more businesses had hired a greater proportion of remote workers.
Workplace Flexibility Matters to Employees
Back in 2022, nearly half of surveyed companies told BioSpace they would recruit and hire remote employees regardless of location. Two years later, that number had dropped to 20%. In addition, 56% of employer respondents in 2024 preferred local candidates but would consider remote roles for certain hires, up from 38% in 2022.
Not surprisingly, some employees aren’t thrilled with decreased workplace flexibility, as illustrated by a Pew Research Center survey from October 2024. It found that 46% of surveyed employees who work remotely at least some of the time said they were unlikely to stay at their job if their employer no longer let them work from home.
Workplace flexibility also plays a role in whether some take a position in the first place, even in today’s challenging job market. Among respondents to the latest BioSpace employment outlook survey, 17% of employed and 13% of unemployed professionals turned down a job because it didn’t offer remote work options. Those options can be especially important for those living outside of a major biopharma hub who can’t or don’t want to relocate for employment.
Multiple life sciences professionals shared their frustrations with limited remote options in the employment outlook survey’s comments section.
“Concerned that they are requiring on-site presence for positions/roles that worked well with 100% remote before and through the pandemic,” noted one respondent.
Another commented, “Biopharma needs to embrace permanent remote work options and stop with return-to-office mandates for no reason. There’s no reason for someone to drive to the office just to take zoom calls all day.”
It’s easy to understand the frustration of employees who can do their jobs remotely part or all of the time yet are required to go into the office. Why can’t those who were effective at home during the pandemic be effective there now? Yes, having employees on-site can have its advantages, such as promoting better collaboration and decision-making through face-to-face interactions. However, workplace flexibility is important to many employees, and it’s a key driver of work-life balance. For example, people can spend less time commuting, providing benefits such as cutting gas costs and giving them more time with family and friends.
A recent BioSpace LinkedIn poll highlighted the value of workplace flexibility, with 55% of respondents indicating they have better work-life balance now than they did before the pandemic.
Workplace Flexibility Should Matter to Employers
Employees aren’t the only ones who can benefit from flexible workplaces. Life sciences companies that offer hybrid or remote schedules have a wider talent pool, especially for 100% remote jobs where people can work from anywhere in the world.
Retention should also be top of mind for today’s employers. The Great Resignation—when large numbers of employees quit their jobs early in the COVID-19 pandemic for reasons including inflexible remote work policies—should still give them pause.
Gallup alluded to this issue in December, noting that employees who are feeling increasingly detached from their jobs are struggling to leave in a cooling job market and an economy marred by inflation. Instead, they stay at their companies, “feeling stuck with their discontent.” Gallup referred to this shift as the Great Detachment.
“For employers, this means that while turnover numbers may have slowed, employee productivity concerns and future talent loss are hidden organizational risks,” Gallup noted.
And once the life sciences job market picks up, and especially when it moves back to being a candidate’s market, pharmas and biotechs could very well see some of their people leave for competitors that offer better flexibility.
Employers would do well to make their workplace as flexible as possible for their employees and job candidates who value remote and hybrid work—before the job market heats up.
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