As the pandemic subdues, firms are faced with a dilemma: should employees return to the office full time? If not, what does a potential hybrid model of working look like? To be specific, employees’ expectations of the remote working arrangement have changed following the mandated virtual working which may influence employee attrition. The influence of remote working on the attrition is investigated by answering two questions: (i) which effects of remote working are particularly attractive; and (ii) does remote working lead to lower employee attrition?

This paper focuses on the client’s Finance & Operations employees in their Polish shared services centers. The methodology pursues a triangulation approach, examining the research question from both quantitative and qualitative perspectives and assessing existing literature. Specifically, binary logistic regression is used, establishing associations between the benefits of remote work and the voluntary attrition intention when remote working is not offered. Following this, the quantitative analysis is supplemented by a series of qualitative interviews conducted using the delphi technique.

The results yield several relevant insights. First, the time saved by eliminating the daily commute was the benefit appreciated most by the employees. The second benefit of remote working valued the most by the employees was the ability to better meet personal obligations. When asked about leaving the company without the possibility of remote work, the independent variable "productivity" showed a statistically significant relationship to the decision to leave the firm without remote working options. However, the evaluation of the odds ratios showed that all factors, except for flexible working hours, can induce an employee to leave the company because of the absence of remote work. In conclusion, this paper provides the client with an insightful overview of the influence of remote working on employee attrition in a select group of employees in Poland. A hybrid working model is derived and individual drivers relating to attrition are deduced. As a result, our client is in a position to initiate further studies or create relevant initiatives to maximize the effectiveness of remote working.