A parent who began working during the pandemic said she had to leave her job because her commute and childcare responsibilities made it “impossible” to continue working there.
Transitioning away from remote work is resulting in parents paying over £600 extra per month for childcare.
Pebble, a flexible childcare service, provided data indicating that half of the 2,000 surveyed parents planned to leave their professions due to this change.
A third of respondents have already switched to companies offering more flexible work arrangements.
Employers are now requesting employees to be in the office for two additional days each week.
Two-fifths of parents reported struggling to afford the increased childcare expenses.
However, hybrid job postings have increased by 34% compared to the same period last year.
Adzuna, the employment website, reports that hybrid vacancies now make up nearly 20% of job listings, up from less than 1% in January 2020.
Remote working job postings, which peaked at over 14% in February 2021, have now decreased to just over 5%.
Kevin Ellis, chair and senior partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers, a professional services firm with 26,000 UK employees, stated that the company would stick to its two- to three-day office rule for the sake of “consistency.
However, he believes coming into the office more can benefit careers.
Sarah, not her real name, had to resign from her technology job after remote work was restricted. She was hired during COVID and primarily worked from home.
Her commute and caregiving responsibilities made it “impossible” to work in the office three days a week.
She stated, “I literally could no longer perform that task. It was simply impossible.”
The charity Pregnant Then Screwed highlights how childcare has changed since COVID, with costs rising and availability declining.
Joeli Brearley, the charity’s founder, said returning to the office is a “disaster for working parents and an economic disaster.”
LinkedIn’s UK country manager, Ngaire Moyes, stated that the increase in hybrid work positions on the site reflects the mainstream adoption of hybrid work.
She noted that while remote work has many benefits, some tasks are better suited for in-person work.
Overall, the shift from remote work is impacting parents and their work-life balance significantly.
