Why a Gen Xer who worked remotely for 15 years is now looking for an in-office job

• A Gen Xer is looking for an in-person job after not working in an office for 17 years.
• Though he hasn't secured a new role yet, he wants to return to a close-knit, in-person office.

Grant Swanson, 52, is ready to return to the office.

He hasn't worked in one for 17 years.

In 2021, the software architect quit a remote job he'd held for 15 years. Though he said worked well from home, he misses the office culture and is now on the hunt for an in-person role.

"I'm interested in being back in the office, strangely enough, after 20 years," Swanson told Insider. "I really enjoyed when I went to San Francisco, biked to work everyday, and it kept me in good shape."

However, he says the job search has been difficult. It's an interesting conundrum at a time when remote positions are dwindling, and many workers who would prefer to stay remote are taking up hybrid or fully in-person jobs.

A new Gallup survey of more than 18,000 adults in May found that over half of remote-capable employees prefer and expect hybrid work, which it defined as 10% to 99% out-of-office. Just a quarter expect to work remotely long-term. Employers are figuring out what sort of hybrid structure works best for productivity and team cohesion, though the Gallup study showed hybrid work is here to stay.

Swanson's story shows that while some workers are sure they will never return to a 9-to-5 office job, others are craving face-to-face interaction with coworkers.

Figuring out what works best

Swanson took a remote role in 2006 for a national bank after working for five years at their San Francisco offices. He wasn't the first at his company to do so, which he said made the transition smoother.

He said his company wanted him to focus more on technical challenges and less on managerial tasks that would be harder to complete remotely. He still conducted reviews and interviewed potential new hires, but his job shifted more toward daily software tasks.

It worked out for him and his team — Swanson said his bosses frequently gave him compliments on his performance, and that he always met his goals. And he had less work interruptions at home, as he said he used to work 12-hour days at the office helping others do their work while also completing his tasks.

"When I worked remotely, it cut down a lot on the interruption, so I was able to focus more on my own work," Swanson said, noting he left his company in 2021.

Despite the flexibility of the home office, Swanson said he's "bucking the trend" and now looking for an in-office job because he wants to get better acquainted with his future company's culture and commute to stay healthy.

But when he started looking for both in-person and remote jobs again, it did not go as smoothly as he planned. The last time he applied for a new position was in 2001, during which time he said the phone was ringing off the hook. So far, he hasn't yet been able to secure a new role that matches his skill set.

"I wasn't inundated with phone calls this time. People would call me, and I talked to people maybe once a day or once every other day," Swanson said. "It was definitely way slower than what I was anticipating."

Despite making it to the third and fourth rounds at multiple companies, nothing landed for six months. He was passing the time by serving as a high-school wrestling coach in between job applications and interviews. Ultimately, he brought in someone to help him craft his resume and cover letters, and he's been filling in blindspots in his skills in hopes of landing an in-person or hybrid role.

"I feel like in order to pick up the company culture and really what's going on, working in the office would be best," Swanson said.

Are you a remote worker considering going back to the office? Did you work remotely prior to the pandemic? Contact this reporter at nsheidlower@insider.com.