Five years after the COVID-19 pandemic sparked a surge in remote work in the U.S., more men than women are returning to the office.
Following several waves of return-to-office company mandates, 36% of women are continuing to work from home, compared to 29% of men, according to new Labor Department data. Meanwhile, a KPMG survey of CEOs found 86% said they will reward employees who make an effort to come into the office with favorable assignments, raises or promotions.
With the right financial planning and career management, however, experts say remote workers can still ensure they are not overlooked.
“Companies still have a responsibility to provide equitable opportunity for everyone, regardless of location,” said Jen Morris, an executive job search coach. “Those who proactively manage careers and master how to do this remotely — those are the ones that I think can and will succeed.”
How many people have returned to the office?
The number of those working remotely began to decline after May 2020, when more than 60% of days were spent working from home, according to data from WFH Research. By June 2025, that number had shrunk to about 27% ‒ a steep drop but still a significant increase from about 5% in 2019.
CEOs predict that number may change again, with 79% envisioning corporate employees whose roles were traditionally based in-office to be back in the physical workplace in the next three years, according to the KPMG survey. It found 17% envision these roles will be hybrid and only 4% envision them being fully remote.
While remote workers often highlight their ability to stay focused at home away from chatty coworkers, the question of whether they’re truly more productive than in-office employees remains up for debate. People have also questioned whether rigid return-to-office mandates are cost effective for companies, weighing tradeoffs like “wasted” real estate and decreased morale.
Why more women are working remotely than men
The share of employed people working at home decreased only slightly from 35% in 2023 to 33% in 2024, according to the Labor Department data. The share of women working remotely remained steady at about 36% during that time, but the share of men doing the same declined from 34% to 29%.
While traditional gender roles are bending, women still spend more time on housework and tend to take on caregiver duties more often than men. Because of this, Kelly Keydel, managing director and financial adviser at Wealthspire Advisors, said she was not surprised to hear more women are working from home. She added that women may also be more likely to take jobs that don’t necessitate a return to the office, like administrative roles.
Morris said long before the COVID-19 pandemic, she worked remotely out of necessity for 15 years while raising two children after she went through a divorce and her ex-husband moved across the country.
Now, when she is helping women find remote jobs, she said they’re also usually looking for them out of necessity.
Anjel Hartwell, who is a self-employed consultant, strategist, and content creator, said she decided to work from home because she would save on office costs and could focus more of her time on being a mom.
“It was really important to me that when my kiddo was approaching puberty and those difficult years that I was the mom who was there after school for the kids and I was the mom that baked all the brownies for the football team,” Hartwell said. “During the day while he was in school, I was speaking to people all over the world by phone … and when it was time for them to be home from school, I was full-time mommy.”
How WFH employees can avoid being overlooked
Abigail Gunderson, a senior wealth adviser at Tanglewood, said one of the most straightforward ways for remote employees to stay on their employer’s good side is by doing their job well.
“I see no reason why they can’t move ahead,” Gunderson said. “If I was the boss and this person works from home, but she does such a great job, she wouldn’t be on top of my layoff list.”
In addition to staying active on-camera during virtual meetings, if you want to be more visible at work, Gunderson suggests asking your boss for lunch. If that is not possible, Morris recommends asking a supervisor if you can email them summaries of your major milestones every so often. She said to avoid feeling like you’re bragging, frame achievements around what they accomplished for the organization.
If you’re hoping for a raise, Morris said you first need to ask what’s required to get one and craft a professional development plan based on your employer’s response. She also suggests learning your market value using sites like Glassdoor and talking to others in your industry. Hartwell said don’t guess — do the actual math of what salary you need to live a comfortable life and view it as a fact when you negotiate.
If you want to grow in your career, Morris recommends seeking out a mentor at work who isn’t your boss while keeping your manager in the loop and being mindful of corporate hierarchy. Keydel said it’s important to keep industry contacts alive and abreast of current technology, even when workers take time off or go on maternity leave. Hartwell reminds people they don’t have to stay with a traditional employer to grow their career and encourages seasoned workers to also consider consulting or working for themselves.
Source – https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2025/07/25/remote-working/85346679007/