Majority of employees prefer remote or hybrid work despite feeling disconnected

Over half of employees want to work remotely most or part of the time

Employer-mandated work arrangement:

Before the pandemic

• 74% always or mostly onsite
• 12% equal split
• 14% always or mostly remote

Currently

• 59% always or mostly onsite
• 15% equal split
• 26% always or mostly remote

But what do employees prefer?

• 42% always or mostly onsite
• 22% equal split
• 36% always or mostly remote

Remote work has been a mixed experience for employees

• 70% - helps me achieve better work/life balance
• 65% - receive fair evaluations while working remotely
• 56% makes managing team more difficult
• 52% - feel disconnected from team
• 63% - resources provided to work remotely meet my needs
• 44% - worry that working remotely will have negative impact on career

Different employees experience remote work differently

Age ranges

• 18 – 40 years old: 56% feel disconnected
• 41 – 56 years old: 48% feel disconnected
• 57 – 69 years old: 40% feel disconnected

Gender

• Male: 56% feel disconnected
• Female: 45% feel disconnected

Salary

• $100,000 or more: 62% feel disconnected
• $50,000 - $99,999: 50% feel disconnected
• Less than $50,000: 43% feel disconnected

Remote work

Key advantages:

• 44% less time commuting
• 37% lower cost of going to office
• 33% better manage household commitments

Key disadvantages:

• 33% lack of social interactions
• 30% feeling disconnected
• 30% harder to build relationships

Actions you can take now!

Use employee listening, work and job design to determine flexibility options and align on preferences.

Ensure that employees working remotely have increased awareness of and equitable access to programs and resources for learning, development and enablement, allowing employees to broaden their capabilities.

Use transparent communication to emphasize that remote employees will be treated fairly in terms of career opportunities and pay increases.

Foster trust in direct line management and senior leadership.

Determine needed and expected manager competencies and assess skills to understand development and training needs. Solicit teams for ideas to build community and connections.

About the survey: A total of 9,658 U.S. employees from large and midsize private employers participated in the survey, which was conducted during December 2021 and January 2022.