Are remote jobs more at risk in a recession?

Remote work has emerged as one of the most sought-after preferences for many candidates. However, a recession is dampening this excitement as more remote workers express concern about job security, compensation, and workplace participation. A new report from GoodHire found that 78% of employees feared that remote workers are more at risk of losing their jobs during a recession than full-time office workers.

This data is also backed up by a recent report from Beautiful.ai, which found that while 70% of managers believe their company is recession proof, 60% agreed that remote workers were likely the first in the firing line should downsizing become necessary.

Read more: Canadian tech talent still in demand, despite layoffs and recession predictions

And job security is only one of remote employees' concerns, as 68% of workers said they were afraid their manager would look at office workers as high performers and view full-time remote workers as lazy. In terms of promotion and compensation, 84% of workers believe they might be overlooked for promotions and pay raises in favour of people who worked in the office. Even further, 56% of workers also said that they are worried that pay could be reduced if they started working remotely.

Involvement in team meetings also emerged as a concern, as 59% said they’re worried they might be excluded from important projects if they’re not in the office.

Max Wesman, chief operating officer at GoodHire, said ensuring equality is necessary to ensure that remote employees do not feel overlooked.

"Ensuring equality between remote and in-person workers isn't easy, but it is possible and necessary. To ensure all policies are fair to every employee regardless of their working format, HR professionals need to review policies – from compensation structures, promotion processes, and in-office vs. remote stipends – to ensure they're inclusive and accessible to all," Wesman told HRD.

Read more: Recession fears: job openings see biggest decline since April 2020

"In addition, HR pros can get ahead of underlying issues by holding regular check-ins with employees and tracking as much data as possible. Tracking data can help uncover hidden issues, such as in-person workers getting promoted faster; lower retention rates for remote workers; or uneven pay raises. These insights can help HR professionals proactively address any issues."

And in the face of a recession, Beautiful.ai CEO Jason Lapp called on employers to understand the "pulse of budgeting, managing hybrid teams, and employee resources."