Workers prepared to give up pay for remote work flexibility

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A vast number (85%) of Americans said they prefer to apply for jobs that definitively offer remote working or hybrid options, while some said they would take up to a 50% pay cut to work from home. 

What does work look like at the end of the pandemic? When all is said and done COVID-19 will have changed industries the world over from travel to food and beverage. While the past 18 months gave some the opportunity to thrive and re-invent, others were swept away in the uncertainty.

What will be next? The office. Well at least that's if companies listen to their employees. In a survey conducted by GoodHire among over 3,000 employees in the United States, it was found that over three quarters of employees want to apply for jobs with remote flexibility. Companies are going to have to offer remote work or lose out on the talent of the future.

Prior to the start of the pandemic in 2020, according to GoodHire, 75% of the American workforce had never worked from home before. Fast forward a year later and that's how many people (or more) would like to keep it that way. Even with the roll out of vaccines as companies try and coax more people back to the office, 68% of Americans would prefer to keep working from home.

The trend towards more flexibility and remote work in unsurprising, with Google, Facebook, Twitter and Reddit all already offering some form of remote work in the future already. 

What is surprising is just how valuable remote work is to employees. The same survey also found that 70% of American workers would forfeit benefits to keep remote working status intact and 61% of American workers would take a pay cut to keep the remote working status in place. So strong is the desire to avoid returning the office, some even indicated they would take a 50% pay cut to keep working from home.

The survey further revealed that a three quarter of employees are prepared to leave their current job if they're required to return to the office full time. In fact, remote work flexibility is now top of mind for employees when interviewing for a new job and takes precedence when it comes to compensation and benefits. As many as 70% of those surveyed said they would forfeit other benefits for the ability to work from home, including health and dental insurance, and time off.

Other findings include:

• 60% of American workers would move to a new city for remote work options in any capacity.
• 74% of American workers need remote work options to stay at their current job. 
• 74% of employees would volunteer their vaccination status to their employer to ensure they’re returning to a safe office.

ALSO READ: Remote work is here to stay, say two-thirds of employees globally

Images / GoodHire

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