A new survey suggests many U.S. workers would rather take a pay cut or give up paid holidays if it meant they could work from home.
A survey of 3,500 US workers commissioned by GoodHire, an employment screening service provider, found that more than two-thirds (68%) would choose remote working over working from an office — a sentiment that has been echoed thoroughly by white-collar workers who have enjoyed the freedom and flexibility of working from home during the pandemic.
So hesitant are employees to return to the office, in fact, that 61% of those surveyed said they would be willing to take a pay cut in exchange for being able to work from home permanently. Some even suggested they’d sacrifice up to 50% of their current wage to do so.
Most respondents weren’t willing to take such a big pay cut to carry on working from home: the most common response was a 10% reduction in salary.
Yet salaries weren’t the only thing employees were willing to give up in return for remote working: 70% of respondents said they would give up benefits including health, dental or visual insurance, paid time off, gym memberships, and retirement benefits and accounts, including their 401k.
MacDailyNews Take: As we’re among those who work from home (and the road, beaches, untold number of parking lots, including during births, wakes, funerals, power outages, etc., during so-called “vacations,” in too many hotel rooms to count, restaurant tables, hospitals, emergency rooms, at the turn on golf courses, children’s swimming lessons, soccer games, college move-in days, auto service centers, nursing homes, dance recitals, roadside rest areas – you name a place, we’ve likely worked from it), we understand the allure (and the downsides).
As we’ve been working remotely for some 20 years, it’s not all it seems to be at first blush (see aforementioned list of places from where we’ve worked) since the line between work and off-hours can be significantly blurred and, often, virtually erased. One major thing to keep in mind is that, yes, you can work in your pajamas, but you’ll likely be “on the clock” far more by working remotely than if you were in the office.
Be wary of your boss if you’re switching to remote work. Try to maintain “office hours,” if you can. Guard against mission creep (emails and texts will likely start coming at all hours; try to draw the line).
A long time ago, we used to commute to work in an office. (Including commutes in California, the U.S. South, and during and through The Big Dig that would have killed lesser men.)
Even with a bad commute, you can still come “home” from the office (meaning the workday ceases and you’re on your own time). You can’t come “home” from home.
In a nutshell: Sounds great, but be careful what you wish for; there might be unforeseen downsides.