The pandemic changed the way we work, and, as the work-from-home lifestyle became the norm, employees began to re-evaluate their expectations for work-life balance. Many workers quit their jobs because their needs weren’t being met.
It’s clear that employees don’t want to go back to the way things were pre-pandemic. So we asked the question: What’s the future of remote work? What perks do employees really want? And what will help keep employee retention high? We looked into this for our Future Of Work 2022 Report.
Going into the Office Is a Deal Breaker
American knowledge workers want to work remotely — and they’re willing to quit their job to do so. Thirty-two percent of survey respondents say they’ve already quit a job because they didn’t have the option to work remotely, and 61 percent say they would leave their job if they had the option to accept a fully remote opportunity.
Remote work is beneficial for business, too — 64 percent of survey respondents agree that remote work has made them more productive. This is consistent with how workers felt at the beginning of the pandemic when many people transitioned to working from home overnight.
Employees Want Work-Life Balance
Why are folks so eager to go remote? Because it makes them happy. A whopping 91 percent of respondents agree that the ability to work remotely and have flexible hours contributes to their happiness at work.
And it’s not just increased happiness at work; remote work also affects employees’ lives outside of work.
Almost all the survey respondents (96 percent) associate work-life balance with their happiness at work — just surpassing the next highest perk (flexible hours at 91 percent).
The Future of Work: The Next Generation Will Be Remote
The next generation wants to work remotely.
As the younger generation advances in the workforce, these future-of-work stats make it clear that remote work will become even more prominent.
Do remote work and flexible hours contribute to your happiness at work?
| Yes: | 91% |
| No: | 9% |
Remote work also affects employees’ lives outside of work.
| Remote work has improved their savings | 61% |
| Remote work has given them the flexibility to attend to family life | 66% |
| Remote work has improved their morale | 62% |
Does having a work-life balance contribute to your happiness at work?
| Yes: | 96% |
| No: | 4% |
Survey respondents by age who said they would quit their current role for a fully remote opportunity:
| Respondents ages 18-24 | 100% |
| Respondents ages 25 -34 | 64% |
| Respondents ages 35-44 | 65% |
| Respondents ages 45-54 | 87.5% |
| Respondents ages 54+ | 50% |
Source: zapier.com/blog/future-of-work-report
Methodology: To get these remote work statistics, Zapier surveyed more than 600 knowledge workers throughout the United States who work for small and medium-sized businesses (fewer than 250 total employees). This survey was completed online using OnePoll in March 2022 and responses were random, voluntary and completely anonymous.
Zapier is a leading automation platform.
Did You Know: For Zapier’s Future of Work study, a full 100% of respondents ages 18-24 said they would quit their current role for a fully remote opportunity.
