Imagine 2032: Commercial towers across America are being converted to affordable housing because remote work has fundamentally reduced office demand. This transformation is coming to a metro location near you—sooner than you think.
The Numbers Do Not Lie
Sixty-five percent of Americans prefer remote or hybrid work arrangements. Meanwhile, as David Maples discusses on The Buck Stops Here podcast, hiring in America has become one of the hardest challenges businesses face.
Companies clinging to traditional office-only models are fighting two battles simultaneously: they are swimming against employee preferences while handicapping themselves in the talent war.
The Hidden Value of Remote Work
When you offer remote work, you are not just offering convenience—you are offering real financial value to employees:
- Childcare savings: Approximately $20,000 per year for families with young children
- Commuting costs: $10,000-$50,000 annually depending on location and distance
- Vehicle wear and tear: Reduced maintenance, insurance, and replacement costs
- Time savings: The average American commute is 27 minutes each way—that is nearly 5 weeks per year spent in transit
When you cannot match a competitor is salary, these savings become a powerful negotiating tool. A $70,000 remote position can be worth more than an $85,000 office job when you factor in the true costs.
The Engineering Firm Case Study
Maples describes consulting with an engineering company struggling to hire talent. Competing firms were paying double their rates, and they could not understand why candidates kept rejecting their offers.
The solution? Hire remote engineers from underserved markets. An engineer in Wyoming faces different cost-of-living pressures than one in San Francisco. By offering remote positions, the firm accessed skilled workers who were thrilled with salaries that seemed modest by coastal standards.
The company saved money while improving the quality of their hires.
The Competitive Advantage for Small Businesses
Remote-first policies enable smaller companies to compete with larger corporations in ways that were previously impossible.
Consider the math: A modest investment of $2,000-$3,000 in home office equipment can offset significant salary differences while dramatically improving employee quality of life. Flexibility becomes a benefit that costs you almost nothing but delivers enormous value to workers.
Large companies often have cultural inertia that prevents them from embracing remote work. This creates an opening for nimble competitors who can offer what employees actually want.
The Buggy Whip Warning
Maples offers a stark warning to companies refusing hybrid arrangements: “Swim the direction in which the tide is going. Do not swim against it. That is how you drown.”
He compares office-only mandates to buggy whip manufacturers facing the automobile revolution. You can insist that horses are superior all you want—but the market is moving on without you.
What This Means for Your Business
Here is a practical framework for evaluating your office strategy:
- Evaluate which positions truly require office presence: Be honest—many “must be in office” roles are only classified that way due to tradition
- Calculate the value proposition: What is the total financial benefit of remote work to employees? Present this explicitly when recruiting
- Consider your real estate: Do you have excess office space? Could it be repurposed or subleased?
- Look at geographic expansion: Which markets have talented workers who might be priced out of your current hiring pool?
The Future Is Already Here
The pandemic proved that remote work is viable for far more roles than anyone previously believed. Companies that recognized this gained competitive advantages in talent acquisition.
Those that rushed back to “normal” are now struggling to understand why their best people keep leaving and their job postings go unanswered.
The office as we knew it may not disappear entirely. But the companies that thrive will be those that ask “What value does the office provide?” rather than assuming its necessity.
This article is based on Season 2, Episode 2 of The Buck Stops Here podcast: “Do We Even Need the Office Anymore?”