Multiple surveys have indicated that many of the employees who have been working remotely due to COVID-19 do not want to return to office full-time. Below is a summary of some of those surveys.
A survey conducted by the Blind professional network of 3000 mostly high paid workers from Google, Amazon, and Microsoft found that 64% would choose to permanently work from home rather than receiving a $30,000 raise. (1)
A recent survey from FlexJobs found that 58% of workers say they would “absolutely” look for a new job if they weren’t allowed to continue working remotely in their current position. (2)
Research from Envoy, a startup workforce platform, found that 47% of workers said they would likely leave their job after the pandemic if their employers didn’t offer a hybrid work model. (2)
Here are some reasons that employees want to remain fully or partially remote:
- COVID-19 exposure and risk
- Work-life balance
- Caregiving concerns
- Keep their own schedules
- Reduced stress
- Improvements in personal relationships
- Cut down on commuting time and cost
Given the survey results, developing or continuing a remote or hybrid work solution may be crucial for your organization. In addition, “Companies with flexible and remote work programs see increased retention and reduced turnover, improved productivity and efficiency, a larger and more diverse candidate pool, reduced operational and real estate costs and a reduced environmental impact.” (1)
Things to Consider Setting up a Hybrid Work Environment
If your company chooses to proceed with a hybrid work environment, you will need to create a well-planned policy.
According to Michael Schmidt, a labor and employment attorney at Cozen O’Connor law firm, “Analyze the type of work that needs to be performed by employees in specific functions or jobs. Which tasks can be done remotely? Which ones must be done on site? Which jobs require constant or frequent interaction with employees in different departments?”(3) Remember to collect employee input when developing the policy
Be ready to answer employee questions and address their concerns and complaints. Also, prepare managers with answers to anticipated questions.
1 https://hrexecutive.com/a-30k-raise-or-remote-work-forever-employees-want-remote/
2 https://hrexecutive.com/requiring-employees-to-return-to-the-office-get-ready-for-them-to-quit/
3 https://hrexecutive.com/get-ready-for-some-legal-headaches-with-your-new-hybrid-workforce/