Jinman Han is President of Samsung Semiconductor, Inc. & leads the U.S. business, including Memory, Foundry, System LSI and LED.
I recently relocated to the U.S. from Korea to lead Samsung’s semiconductor business, and I have been meeting with many technology executives in Silicon Valley. A topic that continually comes up is working from home and whether we’ll ever make a total return to the office. I’ve read articles discussing Silicon Valley companies mandating a return to the office at least part-time.
While there is often debate about which is best and opinions are vastly different around the globe, one thing is clear: the future of work and employer and employee expectations are changing, and we must adapt accordingly.
The pandemic accelerated the widespread adoption of remote work, especially in the technology sector, and the trend is here to stay. However, when is it best to deploy a hybrid work arrangement, a fully remote workforce or require all employees to be full time in the office? The answer can be complicated because it is a personal choice and relies on employer preference and the type of work needed.
According to an article in The New York Times, the “power of proximity” is vital to young workers (paywall). Over 50 million Americans work from home at least part of the time. While certain groups—especially working parents—have embraced the flexibility, many younger workers benefit from being in the office to learn from others, gather real-time feedback and make connections.
The article cited a study by economists, which found that “remote work enhanced the productivity of senior engineers, but it also reduced the amount of feedback that junior engineers received (in the form of comments on their code), and some of the junior engineers were more likely to quit the firm.” Mentorship and training were also called out as difficult to replicate via Slack and Zoom. Indeed, “face-to-face meetings are very different from FaceTime.”
Additionally, Stanford University, the University of Chicago and ITAM published “Benchmarking SWAA Estimates of the Prevalence of Working From Home” for 2023 that highlighted the increasing prevalence of remote work and shared results from the Survey of Working Arrangements and Attitudes (SWAA).
The Benefits Of Working From Home
The biggest benefit to the company from offering flexible work is employee satisfaction. Our employees genuinely value being able to decide when and where they work. Most of our employees who live near an office go into the office more than our required three days per week. But the fact that it is their choice is valuable to them.
We expanded our talent pool once we realized that our employees could effectively work from anywhere in the U.S. We have been able to hire highly valuable technical talent who do not live near a Samsung office and don’t want to relocate.
According to SWAA, the benefits of working from home included increased productivity, better work-life balance and reduced employee and employer costs. Remote work allows employees to avoid long commutes, leading to improved mental well-being and more time for personal pursuits.
The Challenges Of Working From Home
While the benefits of remote work are evident, the WFH research report also acknowledged challenges. Some employees may experience isolation, difficulty maintaining a healthy work-life balance or struggle with creating a productive work environment at home.
It was essential to us that our employees and their managers were prepared for the hybrid work environment before reopening our offices. We delivered training to ensure that our managers and employees were ready, including training on effectively running hybrid meetings, real-time virtual collaboration and transitioning back to the office, to name a few.
Our company all-hands meeting has also moved to a hybrid model with live and virtual attendance. We have adopted technologies that allow us to create the same interactive experience, whether in person or virtual for things like Q&A using tools like Slido.
New Technology Shaping The Future Of Remote Work
The report also emphasized the crucial role of technology in facilitating remote work. As more work from home, the demand for advanced collaboration tools, secure communication platforms and reliable internet connections will grow. The future of remote work will heavily rely on developing and implementing innovative technologies to support a seamless and efficient virtual work environment.
When we moved to the hybrid work environment, we identified all the resources available for employees to connect with each other regardless of where they were located. Our training materials outlined which resource was most appropriate for the working scenario an employee might encounter. Our collaboration tools include video conferencing software, instant messaging, email, phone and text messaging since our employees are eligible for cell phone reimbursement.
To ensure success, businesses and employees must embrace new ways of working and collaborating. Companies should consider investing in required infrastructure and technology, creating policies supporting remote work and offering training programs to help employees transition to a remote or hybrid work environment.
In addition, developing a strong company culture that prioritizes employee well-being should be a top priority. Employees must practice self-discipline and recognize when they need to come into the office and when they can more effectively work from home.
At Samsung Semiconductor in the U.S., our hybrid work arrangement continues to receive positive feedback because it enables the team to be more productive personally and professionally. We’ve also found that more than 70% come to the office daily to collaborate, meet in person with their colleagues and enjoy on-campus amenities like the cafeteria and gym.
Before the pandemic, Samsung employees were 100% in the office, so working from home was a new muscle we had to learn to flex. While we had the technology to enable the swift change, culturally and individually, it was a significant shift.
As the prevalence of working from home continues to rise, businesses and employees must be prepared to adapt and be flexible. By addressing the challenges and embracing the benefits of remote work, we can pave the way for a more productive and sustainable future of work.
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