Remote work truly got a boost after COVID hit. To avoid the spread of the virus, many companies opted to have their employees work from home.
The benefits of working from home stuck with a lot of people. Some employees actually expressed their interests in continuing to work from home even after lockdowns and other COVID restrictions came to an end.
Some businesses were more amenable to this than others. Those who took a more cynical approach to remote work questioned the true productivity levels of employees who are not physically in the office.
However, as gas prices reach historic highs, there’s an argument that employees should be granted remote work opportunities for economic reasons, per Fox News.
The Latest Argument For Widespread Remote Work
In states like Tennessee, New Jersey, and others, people have expressed that letting folks work remotely would save them from being consistently taken to the cleaners at gas stations.
Certain places across the country have seen gas get as high as $9.60 per gallon. Even in other communities where gas is closer to $5.00 or $6.00 per gallon, this is still much more than the $2.41 per gallon average that Americans paid before Biden came into office.
The gas price increase finally hit here. I’m glad I work remote. Driving to work everyday gets expensive in times like this. I’m sending my niece a gas card to help her out.
— Afternoonish Post – Over Educated Woman❤️🌻☕️ (@PreAnnoyed) June 6, 2022
Supporters of remote work amid gas prices have pointed out the past few years show that it can be done. Many people who worked from home over the past two years found themselves having more time to spend with their kids and handle other responsibilities.
Not having a daily commute ultimately freed up a lot of time for many workers across the United States.
Likewise, with apps like Slack, Trello, Zoom, etc., employees can very easily keep up with co-workers and managers with video conferences, group calls, and other face-to-face interactions.
With gas prices set to continue rising from where they stand today, more employers can expect calls to let their staffers work from home.
No Other Option?
If gas prices keep going up as they’re expected to, fewer people will be able to afford their commutes to work on a daily basis. This is especially true for Americans who have to drive fairly long distances in order to work in the office.
No more remote work, drive to your job you could do remotely, gas is eight dollars a gallon, there's a supply shortage of everything and they're calling price gouging inflation. pic.twitter.com/NceGM3cP0b
— Ms Ann Throat (@dudethatspiss) June 2, 2022
In a scenario like this, employers would be faced with the choice of either letting their staff work from home or letting them go entirely.
Given the widespread impacts that high gas prices are having on most Americans, employees may find it worth their while to sign off on remote work going forward.
Do you think the sky-high gas rates in America today are a good reason for more businesses to start letting their staffers work from home? Let us know your views on current gas costs and remote work in the comments area below.
