After weeks of being confined to their home offices, how do US office workers feel about going back to a traditional work setting?
Between April 16 and 17, 2020, getAbstract surveyed more than 1,200 full-time people who are working from home in the United States during the pandemic.
Nearly half of all respondents indicated that they would like to keep working from home, while more than 45% said their employers were actively considering or open to this move.
Employees working from home reported they were more productive and had higher performance, while also valuing the benefits of not commuting and having more time for family, friends and hobbies.
The survey found strong preferences for more remote work from both workers that had been working or not working remotely before the crisis.
For those workers that had never worked remotely prior to the pandemic, nearly 50% expressed a desire to keep working remotely. Moreover, among people who occasionally worked remotely previously, the survey found more than 80% want to work remotely more of the time.
Recent headlines have been replete with predictions that the pandemic will permanently change the way people work. What the new normal will look like exactly is everybody’s guess. But it’s hard to imagine that employers will pass up on the opportunity to boost employee engagement and reduce overhead costs by granting employees more flexible work arrangements.