The “Great Resignation” continues to take a major toll on companies and their return-to-office (RTO) plans but is benefiting a key demographic.

Companies have been dealing with the Great Resignation since early 2021. Many employees’ view of work was forever changed as a result of the pandemic and the realization their jobs could be done remotely just as well. A new report by A.Team and MassChallenge is shedding light on just how disruptive the Great Resignation has been.

According to the report, “44% of tech founders & execs say that a significant number of their top performers have exited due to the Great Resignation.” To make matters worse, 67% say traditional hiring methods don’t work, and 62% say it takes an average of four months or more to hire top talent, especially in product and engineering.

Despite the challenges the Great Resignation is causing, freelancers are one demographic that is benefiting as companies increasingly rely on them to fill in the gaps. In fact, 73% of tech companies now report blended teams consisting of full-time employees and freelancers. What’s more, 71% say that freelancers help their business be more agile, especially in the face of economic uncertainty.

Failure to Fully Embrace Remote Work

Interestingly, despite recognizing the benefits of flexible and remote work, many companies are still eager to return to the status quo.

The report shows that 62% of companies surveyed believe they are seeing better results from a flexible work model, yet 37% want to increase the amount of time employees spend in the office. The number is even higher among more established Series B, C, D, E and public companies, reaching 55%.

It’s a safe bet that as long as companies continue pushing for a return to the pre-pandemic status quo, the Great Resignation will continue. In other words, companies’ insistence on returning to normal will likely end up destroying the very “normal” they’re trying to achieve.