A Message from Our CEO – July 2022

Dear Friends,

Last month my son started working at a company headquartered in NYC. Alas, he is leaving Washington DC this weekend (hate to see him go) and moving to…  Asheville, NC. Wait, what? He is one of the many professional Millennials leaving big cities to work remotely in smaller life-style-first cities like Asheville NC, Boise, ID and Des Moines, IA.

The ability to work remotely plus soaring rents, crime, and long commutes are driving Millennials away from the big cities. More than 40% of workers now work remotely, and the percentage is higher for young people. Companies are willing to be more flexible about where their employees work, particularly in tech, and there is a good reason for that. According to ADP Research Institute, two thirds of respondents said they would find a new job if required to return to the office full time. Employees have the upper hand now, but will that last? I don’t think so. Why? Because recession with job losses tilt the balance in favor of the employers. It always does. And if employers want people in the office, they will come. This is our first feature article from the Atlantic written by Derek Thompson. If this topic doesn’t float your boat, check out the new research by Gallup which shows that K-12 educators are in the profession with the highest burnout rate. Message to parents: Buy your teacher a cookie or something nice.

Postscript: I texted my son to ask him if he would leave his job if he were required to work in the NYC office. His text came fast and certain “Yes”. And then 5-minutes later, he typed “unless they paid me double my salary”. 

Big. City. Blues.

Warren