Stricter Guardrails in Remote Work and RTO in 2024, Says Atlassian CEO Scott Farquhar

By Moon Harper

Jan 26, 2024 03:50 AM EST

In five years, remote work has evolved from a less common perk to a highly desired privilege for which people are actively vying.

The desire for remote jobs remains high, exceeding the available opportunities. In December 2023, remote job listings on LinkedIn accounted for less than 10%, down from a peak of 20.6% in March 2022, despite nearly half of job seekers expressing a preference for remote roles.

Remote Jobs Won't Vanish Completely

According to Atlassian co-founder and co-CEO Scott Farquhar, remote jobs won't vanish entirely, although they might become more challenging to come by. The Australian software company implemented a "Team Anywhere" policy in 2020, allowing employees to work remotely, in person, or a hybrid manner.

Stricter Guardrails in 2024

Farquhar suggests that in 2024, the most significant change in remote work will be companies implementing stricter and more permanent guardrails for their remote or hybrid work setups, enforcing employees to come into the office 1-2 days a week without specifying which days or enforcing in-office attendance, and then at the same time, give employees who don't live close to the office permission to work from home.

Turning from a Flexible Phase to a Committed and Specific Arrangement

A recent LinkedIn report highlights a shift toward hybrid work structures as companies aim to meet employee demands for flexibility and employers' preference for in-office attendance. The report indicates that hybrid job postings surpass remote job ads on the platform. Regardless of the chosen structure, Farquhar expects more organizations to transition from the experimental, flexible phase of remote work to a committed and specific arrangement.

"I think more employers are realizing that it's not very productive to have some people in the office, some fully remote, and try to make it work," says Farquhar.

Mixed Messages About Remote Work and RTO

Even though some companies have implemented stricter in-office rules for employees, the actual office occupancy has stayed relatively consistent from 2022 to 2023.

Farquhar notes that employees are receiving conflicting messages about returning to the office from their employers, making it challenging for them to comprehend and trust their exact position. The same issue occurs for companies with fully remote setups, where conflicts can quickly arise without clear guidelines.

Initially, Atlassian permitted employees to work in their preferred time zone, with approval from managers, as long as they were in one of the 13 countries where Atlassian is legally recognized.

Farquhar discovered that while Atlassian makes exceptions for one or two people to work in Japan, the rest of their team is 12 or 14 hours behind, ultimately affecting their job satisfaction. Implementing certain restrictions on employees' location flexibility, such as assigning designated time zones for each team, has been beneficial, according to Farquhar. However, he acknowledges that Atlassian hasn't fully perfected this approach yet, having to decline candidates who couldn't adjust to their team's time zone and had to clarify location policies.

Farquhar believes more remote companies may soon introduce restrictions on employee locations to avoid tax and workflow issues. Ultimately, employers will realize they can't have it both ways. In other words, if they allow some people to work remotely, they can't compel local employees to come into the office to justify lease expenses. Farquhar emphasizes the need for a consistent, clear policy and fair access to benefits to prevent employees from leaving.