Nearly three in four CFOs plan to shift at least five percent of previously on-site employees to permanently remote positions post the coronavirus, according to a survey by global research and advisory company, Gartner.
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Gartner’s survey of 317 CFOs and finance leaders on March 30, 2020 found that 74 percent intend to move at least five percent of their previously onsite workforce to permanently remote positions post the pandemic crisis.
โThis data is an example of the lasting impact the current coronavirus crisis will have on the way companies do business,โ says Alexander Bant, practice vice president, research for the Gartner Finance Practice, in a media release.
โCFOs, already under pressure to tightly manage costs, clearly sense an opportunity to realise the cost benefits of a remote workforce. In fact, nearly a quarter of respondents said they will move at least 20 percent of their on-site employees to permanent remote positions.โ
The Gartner survey found that:
โข 26 percent said zero percentย of their workforce willย remain permanently remote.
โข 27 percent say five percentย will do so.
โข 25 percent says 10 percentย will remain remote.
โข 17 percent says 20 percentย will remain remote.
โข Some four percent will haveย 50 percent remote.
โข Some two percent will haveย more than 50 percent remoteย permanently.
Gartner says that with 81 percent of CFOs previouslyย telling it that they plannedย to exceed their contractualย obligations to hourly workers,ย remote work is one exampleย of creative cost savingsย senior finance leaders areย seeking in order to avoid moreย severe cuts and minimise the downside impact to operations.
โCFOs previously reportedย to Gartner that they wereย taking additional steps toย support employees in this area by adjusting to more flexibleย work schedules and providingย company-issued work fromย home equipment. Theseย action by finance leaders helpย minimise disruptions workersย might be facing as a result ofย the crisis,โ it says.
Gartner says that asย organisations continue toย grapple with the ongoingย business disruptions fromย COVID-19, permanent remote work could complement cost-cutting measures that CFOs have already taken, or planย to take.
The company says that in its most recent survey, 20 percentย of respondents indicated theyย have deferred on-premiseย technology spend, with anย additional 12 percent planningย to do so.
An additional 13 percent ofย respondents noted they hadย already made cost reductionsย in real estate expenses, withย another nine percent planningย to take actions in this area in the coming months.
