If you read this column regularly or have chatted with me recently about work from home and hybrid work trends, you know that I stand firmly in the camp that believes the office is the best place to work. Being together is critical for collaboration and innovation. And while I believe employers should be flexible when it comes to the needs of its workers, being in the office matters.

It certainly matters to employers. Emerging research proves the importance of being in the office. It might just save your job.

Widespread studies based on standard measures of efficiency have found that fully remote employees are 10% to 20% less productive than those working on company premises, according to a recent Los Angeles Times story. Challenges related to communications, coordination and self-motivation may be factors in the decline. And some employers have been warning that those who fail to meet new standards for being in the office may find adverse effects on their performance evaluations and incomes.

A brand new study shows that the problem could be even worse for workers. Work from home and work from anywhere trends are a boon to employees looking for flexibility, but it could also result in people being replaced by offshore workers.

It is an interesting byproduct of the work from home movement. If a worker demands the flexibility to work from home and not come into the office, employers are finding that it is cheaper to simply replace them with an offshore worker. After all, if they aren’t going to come into the office, who cares if they are in Memphis or Mumbai?

Though the economy remains strong, there have been a number of news reports about corporate layoffs. A recent The Best Free Online Resume Builder – ResumeBuilder.com survey found that 30% of companies with recent layoffs replaced laid off U.S. employees with offshore workers. 24% of companies with recent layoffs plan to terminate and replace U.S. employees with offshore workers in 2025. Customer service and tech positions were most likely to be taken over by offshore workers. And a quarter of companies that engaged in this practice replaced 50% or more of laid off U.S. employees.

I’m sure those workers who demanded to continue to work from home never expected to simply be replaced by a worker in some far-flung location, but it is a logical outcome. If the worker isn’t going to show up in the office, who cares if they are nearby or halfway around the globe as long as they get the work done? By arguing that they are just as efficient working away from the office, they are inadvertently pushing their employers to replace them with cheaper labor.

While it is unfortunate these workers are losing their jobs, perhaps it will be a wakeup call to those demanding work from home. Employers are pushing back. And if workers aren’t careful, they might find themselves with more “flexibility” than they want — and find themselves out of a job.

I’m not at all deaf to the plight of the worker. I understand the desire to work from home. But workers also need to understand that employers are going to make decisions based on that as well. Instead of digging in their heels, workers might consider the consequences of working from home along with the benefits.