Before the Covid Pandemic, most people associated work from home opportunities as scams, and basically non-tenable for major companies. However, as those companies and those employer found out, the majority of companies were able to transition just fine to work from home openings.
With the use of platforms such as Zoom, Skype, Google Meet, and a host of other smaller platforms, companies saw that there was little difference. In fact, some employers liked the fact that their employees were expected to work longer hours (since they were “working from home”.)
However, once everything started to get back to normal and people began to return to the office, there was a bit of an issue. Many people decided that they didn’t want to. And for good reason.
Recruiters will tell you that people no longer are comfortable working in person, especially if the roles are in major cities such as Las Angeles, Boston, Chicago, and New York- which have experienced large upticks in violence.
So in addition to the inconvenience of commuting several hours a day, there is also the compounded problem of a violent environment. Obviously, this has repercussions for anyone recruiting for executive roles as most people post pandemic want to work remotely.
However, in recent months, employers who mandated everyone return to work have had to deal with the problem of violence.
The Uptick in Violence
Major cities have experienced a huge increase in violence. Even if you don’t read about it or see it mentioned on the news at night, there is a palpable feel to the unsafe nature of major cities.
Rioting in cities all over the country have been well documented. In addition, the controversial discussion regarding police and policing in general have made certain cities become increasingly dangerous.
One such example is New York City. Once the financial and business capital of the country, it’s lately become increasingly dangerous. In addition to riots and violence that destroyed areas including famed fashion and shopping centers in SoHo, the bail reform laws has lead to an increase in violence in the streets.
Normally, the violence in cities such as New York is found in the outer boroughs. And while areas like Brooklyn and The Bronx have seen increased violence, the more astounding thing is the violence happening on a daily occurrence in Manhattan.
The subways have become dangerous, with violent criminals robbing, assaulting, and causing chaos. Not only that, but people are being assaulted randomly on the streets of midtown Manhattan during daylight hours.
What was once a rare occurrence, has become common. And unlike past violent crime that occurred late at night, or on off hours, these crimes are being committed during working hours.
People commuting to and from work are being subject to the increasingly violent incidents.
Here’s a list of some of the more outrageous incidents:
- Midday attack on random woman by ex-con- 4pm in the afternoon
- Hammer attack at 8pm during the week
- Knife Attack on Woman – Midtown during the day
- 15 People Attacked with Knife- Manhattan- Various Robberies
- Actor Rick Moranis Attacked at 8am in the morning
The stories happen everyday, which was one reason why companies have started to take action. Decent hardworking people have had enough. The policing and mayoral leadership in the city has come under criticism for not being responsible. This resulted in a new mayor who has promised to combat crime, but many believe it’s too little to stop the chaos.
Remote Workers Can Be Productive
The main argument in favor of remote work is that it’s been proven to actually increase production. Many companies have seen their profit margins increase! Without having to pay rental space, which in cities such as New York is grossly overpriced (even the infamous scam co-working spaces, which are all failures).
Work from home employees actually work more than there in-person counterparts in the corporate environment.
And employees know this. They see that they’re working more, creating more value for their employers, and they are also aware that their employers are saving huge amounts of money.
Without having to spend money on commercial rent, employers are pocketing huge profits.
Not only that, but many employers have decided to try and reduce their employees salaries. Recruiters will have seen this as companies want to pay less than they did in recent years.
Well, that is obviously creating an issue since there is a worker shortage. Employers want to pay less, while profiting more and employees want to work from home and realize they are more productive.
It’s a difficult balance for recruiters to try and navigate.
Employers Warn Employees To Be Careful- Violence In Midtown
Certain large companies have gone ahead and mandated in-person work. They have come right out and said that they will not tolerate work from home. These are huge companies and many of their employees are working with 401k, profit sharing, health insurance, and a whole host of other benefits.
However, in cities such as New York, there is the understanding that making people come into the city and work in person can create a dangerous situation. While the C-Level executives often work from home and never come into work, or are taken by private car when they do need to go anywhere, many lower level employees must take the subways or trains such as LIRR or New Jersey transit.
In fact, crime in the city is such a concern that there are even companies that are suggesting that employees “dress down” and appear to not have money when commuting.
The city has become so dangerous that bankers and other professionals are being told to disguise themselves and appear to be someone without money or a job!
Some forums that cater to local topics have broken out into long discussion regarding this.
Some companies have not gone the route of telling their employees to dress like vagrants. They have decided to provide free shuttle busses from drop off points. Why? The subways in Manhattan are no longer safe at any hour. Areas like Las Angeles do not rely on public transport in the same way, so you are not seeing this problem in the workplace.
You are seeing more of an issue with violence and random attacks in public shopping areas and malls where flash mobs are coming to riot and attack people, however. So, the feedback from employees in cities like LA is more of a safety concern with off-worksite safety. They can drive to an employee parking lot, but if they go off site to lunch, or to shop, they are met with the same crime
Hey I’m Chris . 20+ years in the industry. I’ve worked every role from Executive recrutier to Agency founder and consultant. If you want to learn more or reach me,vist the about page or use my contact form.