Key takeaways:
- Employees value choice: just over two-thirds (69%) of workers say it’s important for them to be able to choose whether they work in-person, remotely, or a hybrid model
- This jumps to 85% among workers who are currently doing all or some of their job from home.
- Almost half (45%) say it’s likely they would look for a new job if they are not able to work in their ideal location.
- Among those currently working from home, 55% are likely to look for a new job if they could not have their ideal choice.
- 3 in 10 (28%) remote workers say they’d prefer to stay remote, almost twice as many compared to 2021 (15%).
- When thinking about their ideal choice–remote, in-person, or hybrid–workers tend to prefer whatever option most of their colleagues are also choosing.
- There’s one thing most remote employees would prefer to do in person: socialize. Just over half (53%) say they’d prefer to meet new clients in person and 58% say they’d prefer to do team-bonding activities in person instead of virtually.
- Some 43% of remote workers say workplace collaboration tools have made it easier to do their jobs compared to before the COVID-19 pandemic
Employees want choice
As COVID-19 has shifted many aspects of the workplace, whether or not they will revert back to the “norm” remains unknown, one thing is for certain: employees want choice. Just over two-thirds (69%) of workers say it’s important for them to be able to choose whether they work in-person, remotely, or a hybrid model. Almost half (43%) say it’s “very important” that the choice is theirs. This is especially true among those who are currently working remotely, where the overwhelming majority (85%) say it’s important for their employer to let them choose where they work.
For most employees, the choice is theirs: half of remote workers (52%) say they have ‘a lot’ of say in whether they work remotely, in-person, or in a hybrid model. Only 15% report not having any say in their choice of workplace. However, only a third (33%) of workers overall say they have ‘a lot’ of say in their choice of workplace. About 1 in 4 (39%) say they have no choice at all.
Hybrid for some, but not for all
As the second year of the pandemic approaches, some employees are looking to return to the office, but not all. Just over half of remote employees (55%) say they’d prefer a hybrid set-up of working from home and the office. A slight decrease from the 2021 SurveyMonkey|Zoom poll where 65% of workers said the same.
When thinking about their ideal choice–remote, in-person, or hybrid–workers tend to prefer whatever option most of their colleagues are also choosing.
- 64% of workers whose colleagues are working fully from home say they would also prefer to work fully from home
- 48% of workers whose colleagues are working fully from the office say they would also prefer to work fully from the office
Most prefer socializing in-person
While opinions differ when it comes to what work should be done in person, or remotely, there’s one thing most remote employees would prefer to do in person: socialize. Just over half (53%) say they’d prefer to meet new clients in person. While the majority (57%) of remote workers have found it easy to build new relationships with colleagues over the past year, 58% say they’d prefer to do team-bonding activities in person instead of virtually.
Workplace collaboration tools remain essential
Just over half (55%) say they utilize workplace collaboration tools more than before the COVID-19 pandemic. Four in 10 (43%) remote workers say workplace collaboration tools have made it easier to do their jobs compared to before the COVID-19 pandemic. Workplace collaboration tools are particularly important for remote employees in the tech and education sectors as 47% of education workers and 57% of tech workers say it’s made their job easier.
Remote workers remain confident in their ability to succeed
Almost all (92%) remote workers say they’re confident that they can succeed in their current work environment. Two-thirds (64%) say they are ‘very confident’. Confidence spans across race, gender, and age, perhaps in part, due to just over half (55%) of remote workers saying their company has provided training or resources to help them learn how to work remotely or in a hybrid environment.
Read more about our polling methodology here.
Click through all the results in the interactive toplines below:
