Remote work sticking around for some
Local company leaders focus policies on adaptability and flexibility with hybrid schedules when possible as pandemic uncertainty remains
Remote work, at least for some of the largest Hampton Roads employers, is sticking around.
More than two-and-a-half years since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, company leaders say their policies are focused on adaptability and, when possible, full-time or part-time remote work for their employees.
“The main thing is we’re trying to stay flexible and see where the world is headed,” said G. Robert Aston Jr., TowneBank executive chairman.
At TowneBank, which employs more than 1,000 people in Hampton Roads, there’s no overarching remote work policy for every employee, Aston said. Instead, it largely depends on the department. Those who work in public-facing positions, like in bank branches, are back in the office full-time. The mortgage and finance departments have a hybrid approach with a few days of remote work a week.
At the bank’s Suffolk headquarters, Aston said around 75% of staff was back in the office full-time. He stressed that the bank wanted to be flexible in its remote work decisions with the future of the pandemic still in question but said he worried about a loss of in-person collaboration.
“In the long run, the big concern with a high level of remote work is a dissolution of culture,” he said.
Recent traffic count data from the Virginia Department of Transportation indicates local workers are commuting. Hampton Roads drivers are cruising the highways and bridge-tunnels at levels close to before COVID-19 hit.
Around 2.6 million cars passed through the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel in April, just a 4.8%
decrease from April 2019. About 2.1 million cars drove through the Monitor-Merrimac Memorial Bridge-Tunnel in April, a 3.8% increase from April 2019.
VDOT measured around 2 million cars headed eastbound on Interstate 264 in April, which was a decrease of 6.3% from April 2019. Westbound on that road, VDOT measured about 2.1 million cars in April, which was down around 6.5%.
Ferguson, the plumbing supplier based in Newport News, tries to balance productivity with employee satisfaction in its remote work policy, spokesperson Christine Dwyer said in an email.
“While eligibility for remote work varies across the organization, Newport News headquarters associates can work full-time remote or a hybrid remote schedule,” Dwyer said.
Dwyer said remote work has been successful because company leaders have been intentional in crafting the policy. For example, an employee does not need to report to the office at the same time as their manager. Ferguson has around 3,000 employees working in Newport News.
“Our associates continue to go above and beyond, and it’s important that we recognize their hard work, service and dedication to our customers through an incredibly challenging economic environment,” Dwyer added.
At the Virginia Beach architecture firm Clark Nexsen, flexibility defines the remote work policy, spokesperson Eliza Vaughn said in an email. While company leaders would like employees in the office three days a week, they also know different employees may work better in different settings or have unique circumstances.
Inflation and high gas prices have also factored into the policy, she said. According to AAA, Hampton Roads gas prices averaged $4.79 as of June 27, up more than 63% from $2.93 one year ago.
“A flexible, hybrid arrangement helps to minimize that impact and delivers other benefits that are important to us as a company,” Vaughn said.
For example, she said the remote work policy helps the company reduce its environmental impact. The company employs 168 people in Virginia Beach.
Remote work is a challenge for many employees at power tool manufacturer Stihl’s Virginia Beach headquarters, Lorraine Amesbury-Holder, vice president of operations, said in an email.
“By nature, manufacturing is an on-site job, so most of our employees in Virginia Beach have a required schedule and work location,” Amesbury-Holder said.
However, she said the company lets some employees work remotely when possible, and also recently introduced some schedule flexibility. She said the employer “strives to balance business needs and employee well-being when considering work schedules.” Stihl employs more than 2,000 people in Virginia Beach.