The Popularity of Remote Work by the Numbers

If you think remote work is a passing fad that will end once the pandemic is over, you might be in for a surprise. Few employees are interested in returning to traditional offices full-time and may negatively view mandatory returns to office spaces. According to a recent survey, 77 percent of employees who didn’t typically work from home before the global health crisis say they’ve enjoyed the experience, and 86 percent of these individuals want to continue to work from home once the pandemic has ended. That doesn’t mean that traditional office work is dead, though. Of those surveyed, 32 percent said they would prefer a mixed work schedule that’s primarily remote with the option to come in to a workplace occasionally. Compare that to the scant 8 percent who said they’d want to work in an office most of the time, and the 5 percent who said they’d want to work there full-time. The biggest factors contributing to the popularity of working from home are the flexible hours, the lack of commutes, and the ability to dress casually. However, that doesn’t mean that remote work isn’t without its challenges. Of those surveyed, 34 percent said they had a difficult time managing their work responsibilities with other domestic duties, and 33 percent said it was harder to maintain their relationships with their co-workers.