The Algorithm Age

Talent shortages are the consequence of a hard-core push to a return to office, as we can see from Randstad’s latest “Workmonitor Pulse” report . The survey of 5,250 employees shows that 33 percent, a full third, rank remote work even above “employability” — meaning ongoing relevance, skills and job security — when forced to choose. Seventy-three percent of fully remote workers would surrender a pay bump to preserve flexibility, and 70 percent would forgo promotions. Among fully remote respondents, half would not surrender location freedom for employability. The same can be said for 37 percent for hybrid workers and 29 percent for those permanently on-site. The latter figure for on-site workers shows how many people are liable to be tempted by lower-salary flexible work, if given the chance. External evidence confirms this. FlexJobs’s Q1 2025 “Remote Work Economy Index” demonstrates that remote jobs remain an irresistible lure: 37 percent of job seekers rank location fl...

Do you have a work dilemma, career quandary, or are facing challenges in the office? The i Paper ’s work column answers readers’ questions with leading experts in careers and workplace psychology. Email questions to work@ I used to say I had my dream job – great pay, interesting work and independence. But increasingly, one thing I can’t stand is that my boss is really pushy about us going back into the office. My commute is over an hour each way, it’s so expensive to travel into work, and I find it really draining when I’m there. When I get in, it’s completely silent with zero atmosphere, and there are barely any amenities in the office – basically a tea station and that’s it. What is the point of being here when I do my job more effectively at home, and I don’t have to sit in this depressing office all day? The worst part is, she’s barely in the office herself. And when she is in, she is constantly leaving early for parenting “eme...