Remote Work - To Be (productive) or Not to Be (productive) – That is the Question

Ever wonder what the true impact of the abrupt adoption of remote work had on productivity?


What’s the real impact of remote work on productivity?


Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the majority of U.S. workers operated under traditional office-based arrangements. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), in 2019, only 24% of U.S. workers had access to flexible work arrangements such as telecommuting, and just 7% of employees worked remotely on a full-time basis. 


By May of 2020, 42% of the U.S. workforce was working from home full-time. This was a massive shift from pre-pandemic numbers, highlighting the widespread adoption of remote work in a short period of time.


But now in 2024, we are seeing industry leading companies mandate a return to the office for its employees. Amazon, one of the largest employers in the U.S., has recently made headlines with its decision to require a return to the office for many of its corporate employees. The company, which had embraced remote work during the peak of the pandemic, has now adopted a more structured approach to in-office work.


This policy shift aligns with a broader trend among tech companies such as Google, Apple, and Meta where there is a growing recognition of the benefits of in-person work. Amazon has stated that its return-to-office policy is designed to "reinforce its innovation culture," which relies heavily on team interaction, cross-department collaboration, and rapid decision-making. Additionally, the company has indicated that employees who do not comply with the new policy may face the risk of being moved to other roles or being let go, emphasizing the company's commitment to this change.


So what does Amazon know that other organizations don’t about having employees in the office? Are they more productive?


An interesting study published by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics sheds some insight into this question and we’ve summarized the findings in our “Readers Digest” recap.


A Surge in Remote Work Across Industries


Remote work grew rapidly across industries between 2019 and 2021, with substantial gains in sectors like professional services, finance, and information technology. According to data from the American Community Survey (ACS), industries such as professional, scientific, and technical services saw a dramatic increase in remote work, with over 39% of their workforce working from home in 2021, compared to less than 17% in 2019.


The surge in remote work was not limited to a few sectors. By 2021, over 40% of workers in multiple industries, including insurance, securities, and publishing, transitioned to working from home. The ACS data helps to map out these shifts, demonstrating that more industries were able to embrace remote work during the pandemic than ever before, driven by necessity and technological advancements.


Productivity: A Complex Relationship


The link between remote work and productivity remains nuanced, with findings varying depending on the method of analysis. Randomized experiments within companies show a slight increase in individual productivity due to remote work, evidenced by higher output in metrics such as emails sent or video calls made. Some studies also found that remote work improved job satisfaction, which could reduce turnover rates and save businesses the costs associated with hiring and training new employees.


However, at an aggregate level, studies examining economic performance across industries show mixed results. Research by Fernald et al. (2024) found little correlation between labor productivity and the ability to work remotely, suggesting that remote work did not drastically impact overall productivity across sectors. Yet, when examining the period from 2019 to 2022, a positive relationship emerged between the rise in remote work and Total Factor Productivity (TFP), which measures the efficiency of all inputs used in production. This correlation indicates that, while remote work did not cause a significant productivity spike, it may have had a stabilizing effect on industry-level productivity during the pandemic.


The Economic Implications of Remote Work


The transition to remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic brought about mixed results in terms of productivity. While productivity growth was not uniform across all industries, data suggests that the rise in remote work had a generally positive effect on productivity growth from 2019 to 2022. Particularly, remote work led to significant savings in office-related costs and more efficient business operations. Despite these gains, workers did not see a corresponding increase in compensation, though they did benefit from improved work-life balance.


To Be (productive) or Not to Be (productive) – That is the Question


Overall, while the productivity gains from remote work were evident, they were more apparent at the industry level, with businesses benefiting from lower non-labor input costs. Whether remote work remains a long-term productivity driver will depend on future management practices, technological advancements, and worker preferences, but the pandemic has certainly set the stage for more flexible work arrangements in the years to come.

New Opportunity: Senior Vice President of Operations

By Catherine Landgraf • December 31, 2024
Senior Vice President of Operations ABOUT THE COMPANY A-dec is the premium leader in the dental equipment industry designing and manufacturing products that span dental chairs, lights, handpieces, furniture, air management, infection control and delivery systems found in dental offices and operatories. With over 1300 employees, and headquartered in Newberg, Oregon, A-dec’s familial culture and values have been attributed to their commitment to the Newberg community and its employees through various investments and programs. ABOUT THE POSITION The Senior Vice President of Operations is responsible for leading A-dec’s Manufacturing, supply chain, and planning functions to create a competitive advantage for the company for both existing and new products. Leading a team of Directors and Managers, this position ensures the continuing advancement of quality performance, cost effectiveness and safety of the manufacturing function while developing new ways to improve the service level for customers and meet the financial objectives of the organization. The Senior Vice President of Operations manages the manufacturing, supply chain and planning functions to ensure continuous improvement, employee engagement and talent development. DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES Participate as an active member of the executive leadership team providing the vision, leadership, and roadmap necessary to achieve the company’s strategic initiatives consistently and predictably. Define and communicate the vision for Manufacturing and visibly champion current and long- range objectives or programs to ensure successful implementation. Develop annual Manufacturing objectives and ensure tactical plans are executed throughout operations along with aligning metrics, employee goals, and visual dashboards to ensure business objectives are met within operational and regulatory boundaries. Define the skill sets and training programs required to produce increasingly complex products and maintain an effective talent base across the manufacturing, supply chain, and planning teams. Define and establish staff planning parameters necessary for effective operation of Manufacturing processes to include shift schedules, staffing levels, overtime limits, temporary employee ratios, etc. Provide direction, leadership and guidance to ensure relentless focus on delivering results and engage and empower team members to create a culture of safety, quality, continuous improvement, and personal development. Lead the development and implementation of the Manufacturing expense and capital expenditure budgets. Oversee the Manufacturing capacity plan and optimize utilization across Manufacturing while ensuring the production plan is achieved and meets the sales forecast in a timely manner. Lead Manufacturing Engineering in the transformation and optimization of Manufacturing areas to maximize quality, safety and operational efficiency. Lead the Supply Chain team on Production Planning and supply chain requirements to meet customer demands. Collaborate with cross-functional development teams to continuously achieve successful implementation of new or improved manufacturing systems and ensure utilization of capable, cost-effective production processes for manufacturing operations. Partner with Product Development and New Product Introduction (NPI) teams to ensure new product and innovation projects are executed as planned implementing manufacturing processes and testing to proactively resolve identified process capability conflicts. Work collaboratively across the broader organization to leverage corporate resources and align Manufacturing with top level initiatives. Mentor and coach talent across the business to ensure the organization is developing a pool of operational leaders. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES Ability to create and communicate vision as well as understand the big picture and translate to application Ability to proactively identify, anticipate and resolve problems and be comfortable relying on instincts to make decisions Ability to work cross functionally with all levels of the organization Ability to motivate and engage the workforce, create effective teams and build peer relationships Ability to create and implement strategies Ability to initiate self-development Comprehensive knowledge of quality management systems/ISO, lean manufacturing, and the product development process Advanced oral and written communication skills with public speaking experience EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE Bachelor’s degree in business or engineering along with relevant work experience required, MBA or M.S. in related field preferred At least 15 years of progressive leadership experience with 5+ years in a senior leadership position managing a similar scope and sized operations and manufacturing team. Experience in strategic planning for organizations of similar size and/or scope as well as managing the vision and purpose of a division and or business segment of an organization Strong project management experience Experience in mergers and acquisitions preferred Experience managing a vertically integrated operation preferred Experience leading corporate-wide projects or initiatives Medical device industry / dental or medical device fields experience preferred Experienced in establishing partnerships with other companies and external organizations preferred Interested in Learning More? 180one is a retained search firm and has been engaged by A-dec to manage this search. If interested in learning more about the opportunity, please contact Tom Haley / 503-334-1350 / tom@180one.com

180one Recognized as one of Oregon's Most Admired Companies (Again!)

By Catherine Landgraf • December 30, 2024
We are pleased to announce we have recently been recognized as one of Oregon’s Most Admired Companies. The Portland Business Journal sent a survey to some 3000 CEO level executives asking them what companies they most admire in 10 different categories. 180one was selected as a finalist in the Recruiting/Consulting category and invited to attend the awards ceremony, where we stood out with the 9 th place spot. It was a great event to be honored at, and share the moment with our clients who were also recognized in the Top 10 of their respective categories such as A-dec, Hyphn, Salt & Straw, Leatherman, Columbia Sportswear, and R&H Construction.  When we started 180one in 2007, our main mission was to help Portland businesses grow and thrive by providing them the access to the executive-level talent they deserve. And do it in a way that allows us to truly partner with our clients and build relationships with them outside of any of the searches they engage us on – since we work and live in the same community as our clients. 17 years later, to be recognized today as a Most Admired Company by our clients is a testament to our team’s professionalism, how they’ve partnered with our clients, and the work they’ve performed on our clients’ behalf. Thank you to our clients for your support over the past 17 years, and we look forward to being your search partner in the years to come.

VSG Selects New Vice President of Sales & Business Development

By Catherine Landgraf • December 18, 2024
180one is pleased to announce our recent partnership with VSG and the resulting placement of their new Vice President of Sales and Business Development! Dover’s Vehicle Service Group is the global leader in designing and manufacturing vehicle service, collision and automotive OEM equipment. It is one of the founding companies of Dover Corporation, an eight billion dollar diversified global manufacturer. VSG consists of fifteen leading vehicle lifting brands (Rotary, Forward, Blitz, Ravaglioli etc.), collision repair (Chief), wheel services, diagnostics (Butler, Rotary, Chief and Ravaglioli) and tier-one automotive brands (WARN Automotive) with operations worldwide, including regional business operation centers and large manufacturing facilities in the U.S., Europe and Asia. Congratulations to VSG!
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