A Country That Loves Working From Home More Than the U.S.?

In next Monday’s Juice, we’ll check in with big banks to gauge the increasingly perilous consumer debt situation. The data on delinquencies might make you cringe, but probably not as much as what JPMorgan Chase (JPM) CEO Jamie Dimon said about working from home… 

It’s well established Dimon doesn’t like remote work. But as he said on CNBC in January, “It’s perfectly reasonable to help women.” 

Wow. Bringing us back to the 1950s by reinforcing the stereotype that raising kids is women’s work. 

What if a male manager or executive asked to work from home to take care of his kids? His wife’s job may require her to be away from home, like if she does construction, runs a brick-and-mortar business, or directs television shows. Would Dimon deny this request? 

Archaic mindset aside, Dimon is behind the times on WFH. It’s what the people want, and they’re going to get it because enough companies are cool with it.

Meanwhile, the U.S. doesn’t even lead the pack on WFH among a set of English-speaking countries: 

Source: WFH Map

The data comes from a team of researchers from institutions such as the London School of Economics, Stanford, and Harvard. It shows that the U.K. has the highest share of new job openings that advertise remote work. 

Some other takeaways:

• Nearly 18% of U.K. job openings mention remote work as of January 2023. 
• In the U.S., that share is just over 12.5%, down from the November 2022 high of 13%. 
• In the U.S., you’re most likely to find WFH opportunities in San Francisco, where nearly 29.2% of listings advertise remote work. That’s high, but down from 30% late last year. 
• The lowest number in the U.S. cities the dataset covered: Miami Beach, with just 2.7% of all vacancies mentioning remote work. 

The Bottom Line: We’re in the phase of the remote work trend where people like Dimon and Netflix cofounder Reed Hastings kick and scream in the face of inevitable reality. 

From remote work to the push for a four-day workweek, employees have the upper hand on where and how they spend their time. If JPMorgan or Netflix won’t take people who demand flexibility, there are plenty of companies that will line up to hire them. 

Scheduling a monthly or quarterly retreat or an in-the-office day is one thing. Otherwise, leave the workforce that doesn’t absolutely have to be in the office out of the bad fluorescent lighting and in the comfort of their own homes.

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