Around one year since many workplaces were first shut down due to the pandemic, Prudential Financial’s Pulse of the American Worker survey (opens in new tab) found that 42% of current remote workers say if their company does not continue to offer remote work options long term, they will look for a job at a company that does. The weight of numbers represents a significant warning to employers that anticipate their workers will readily leave their laptops (opens in new tab) on the sofa and slip back into pre-COVID working practices. Indeed, of the 2,000 full-time workers that took part in the survey, 87% who have been working remotely during the health crisis said they would like to carry on working from home at least one day a week, post-pandemic. And it seems that even those who have still had to make the journey into work have had their heads’ turned, with 68% of all workers now favoring a hybrid workplace model, where they can split their time working remotely and in the office. “This is a double-digit percentage point jump from a similar question in a survey fielded last fall and indicates that the positive aspects of remote work, such as flexible schedules and reduced commute times, outweigh the challenges of isolation and increased work hours that workers cited,” the report notes. With a quarter (26%) of those questioned admitting they plan to look for a new job when the threat of the pandemic decreases, and 1 in 5 (20%) having actually switched jobs during the past year, the threat doesn’t appear an idle one either. Taking seriously what the people are saying, Rob Falzon, Prudential vice chair, said: “Our survey shows that American workers want the benefit of remote work, but still see value in coming together in-person at least some of the time. For Prudential, working nine-to-five, five days a week in the office will be a relic of the past. A hybrid workplace is better for our business and our employees.”
Remote working tips
If you’ve enjoyed the work-from-home lifestyle and are reluctant to return to the daily commute and your old office environment, the chances are that you have already managed to establish a home office (opens in new tab) that you’re happy working from. For the sake of your wellbeing, we sincerely hope the kitchen table is no longer doubling up as your work station either, and that you’ve been able to create a healthy home office set-up (opens in new tab). Perhaps your employer has already made promises that working from home is here to stay for you, in which case you may be among the 28% of remote workers that said they now want to move house (opens in new tab) to accommodate their new work/life balance. The good news here is that interest rates remain low, and the competitiveness of the home loans available from the best mortgage lenders (opens in new tab) could allow your relocation dreams to come true. Others may not want to move, but would still appreciate some dedicated space from which to work remotely, in which case you may wish to finance a home renovation (opens in new tab). Whether a personal loan (opens in new tab) will be enough to cover the changes you need to make, or you’re considering a more significant remodel where perhaps you’ll need to approach the best refinance mortgage companies (opens in new tab) to secure the level of funds you need, there are plenty of options out there.
