MBAs Overwhelmingly Want To Work Remotely: Report

Work from home isn’t getting less attractive. If anything, it’s gaining appeal — especially among MBAs and business school students.

In a new survey from Highered, 49% say they want hybrid — onsite and remote — work no matter their job role. Onsite working is the least-preferred option amongst students (24%); in fact, a quarter (26%) say they would not work for an employer who did not offer remote working.

“Having studied remotely for much of the Covid pandemic, students are looking to continue this way of working in their careers,” says Amber Wigmore Alvarez, chief talent officer at Highered, the online careers platform for EFMD. “It is a trend that is not going away and is the future for recruitment of graduates from business schools.”

27% SAY THEY WANT FULLY REMOTE WORK

The Highered survey is just the latest in a growing pile of evidence that remote work is here to stay. Last summer, Ladders, a career site for jobs paying $100,000 or more, released data from top North American employers showing that high-paying remote positions grew from 7,000  in March 2020 to more than 80,000 by July 2021. Remote positions in marketing, media, and design shot up 974% in that period; in project management they grew more than 800%, and in finance, 750%.

Highered’s new survey was carried out among 1,041 business school students globally. Nearly a third (27%) say they want full remote working; while 26% relayed that they would not work for an employer who did not offer remote working, over half (53%) relayed that they would. Twenty-one percent indicated that they did not know at this stage.

Highered works with over 700 business schools and universities, 1,000 employers, and 500,000 graduates every year.  “The majority of respondents (45%) felt that there are enough fully remote and hybrid/part remote work jobs in their fields of work,” says Wigmore Alvarez. “From our observations with the employers that we work with, the majority of corporate recruiters are adapting to, if not fully remote, hybrid ways of working.”

TOP DISADVANTAGE TO REMOTE WORK: LACK OF WORK-LIFE BALANCE

Survey respondents were asked about the perceived advantages of remote work, with the three top reasons being “flexibility to live where I like” (35%), “flexibility around family commitments” (16%), and “flexibility to work to my own schedule” (15%). In contrast, the top perceived disadvantages of fully remote and hybrid/part remote work were “no balance between home/work life” (21%), “pressure to work outside core hours” (16%), and “isolation/loneliness” (14%).

“Self-motivation” (35%) was viewed by respondents as the most important personal tribute for remote and hybrid/part remote work. This was followed by being ‘flexible and adaptable” (14%), “discipline” (13%), and “time management” (10%).

Over half of respondents say they think B-schools are equipping them with enough skills to lead remote teams (52%); nearly a third (28%) thought they were not.

Asked what they would like to see B-schools doing to help prepare them for remote working, the top responses were “access to short workshops, courses, or training on employment skills” (64%), “integration of employment skills into degree programs” (64%), “opportunities for internships” (60%) and “availability of consulting projects” (54%).

DON’T MISS DATA: THESE FIELDS SAW THE BIGGEST INCREASE IN REMOTE WORK OPPORTUNITIES and NEW DATA: 1/4 OF HIGH-PAYING JOBS COULD BE REMOTE BY 2023