Over half of US employees have been working remotely since the start of the pandemic; and around 95% want to keep it that way, according to a new study.
Additionally, 56% say they would take a pay cut to continue working remotely, revealed the survey conducted by The Harris Poll; on behalf of Sungard Availability Services. The survey showed that 43% ideally don’t want to return to the office at all; while 51% would prefer a mix of remote and in-office working.
Around 35% of employed Americans are strictly remote, while 22% have also been working in an office part-time. Nearly four in five remote workers believe they would be most productive if they could choose to work remotely or in an office as needed; including roughly two in five who strongly agree. Their feelings are so strong that 56% would take less money if it meant they could work from any location full-time.
FLEXIBLE WORKING PRIORITY
The survey also revealed that:
- Most Americans want a remote option. Overall, 74% of respondents, regardless of their current employment status, want to work remotely, either exclusively (37%) or in combination with an office (36%). Among employed adults, 66% would prefer to work remotely in some capacity.
- Older adults are ready to leave the office behind. Nearly 40% of Americans between the ages of 55 and 64 want to work strictly remotely. That figure jumps to 44% for adults 65 and older.
- Younger adults aren’t finished with the office just yet. Meanwhile, younger adults still see value in the office experience: 43% of those in the 35-44 age range desire a mix of remote and in-office working; and 29% of those 18-34 want to work solely in the office.
“Remote work was becoming more commonplace before the pandemic, but it quickly switched from a luxury to a necessity; sending global shockwaves to businesses that never expected – or planned – to be in this position. Now that the genie’s out of the bottle, there’s no putting it back in,” stated Chris Fielding, Chief Information Officer of Sungard AS. “As employees place greater stock in flexible working, organisations must adapt or risk losing talent. This involves everything from a top-down cultural shift to ensuring workers have the tools and resources they need to be productive and secure from anywhere.”
ESSENTIAL TECH & CYBERSECURITY
When thinking about working remotely, 88% of employed adults have at least one item they feel is “absolutely essential” to working from home. Most important is high-speed internet (54%); followed by software that keeps work devices secure while working remotely (45%); and an easy-to-use system for securely sharing files with co-workers (41%). Around 37% also believe that IT support that specialises in remote workers is a must-have. The data shows that around seven in 10 working Americans feel their company offers the right technology for them to work remotely; but approximately half believe their company is culturally prepared to offer remote work to everyone.
“As companies scrambled to get their newly dispersed workforce hardware and software to do their jobs effectively, security took a backseat. And hackers quickly took advantage,” Fielding added. “Ransomware and phishing attacks are now on the rise, and too many organisations are playing catch up. You must become more vigilant about cybersecurity awareness. Make sure your employees are all using multi-factor authentication, secure your VPNs and shore up any vulnerabilities before they get exploited. The desire for this work environment is real, yet so is the security risk it poses if not maintained correctly.”
Several surveys have confirmed that employees want to maintain the option to work remotely post-pandemic. Additionally, 3/4 of US workers still have some anxiety about returning to work; with women more anxious about it than men. However, many won’t tolerate being compensated less for remote work, according to a Salary.com survey. Click here to read more.
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