Nine in 10 (90%) employees would remain with an organisation if they are offered the flexibility of remote working, according to research by Workvivo.
Its survey of 1,000 UK and US employees, who have all been worked from home since the beginning of the Covid-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic, also found that three-quarters (75%) of respondents felt the level of communication from their employers had increased since they have been away from the office, with just over half (51%) citing better communication with colleagues as a positive.
Furthermore, since the start of the pandemic, more than four-fifths (85%) of respondents are feeling more positive about remote working, with more than half (52%) of respondents wanting it to be a permanent fixture, while 36% would prefer a flexible work/office balance.
Additionally, almost three-quarters (70%) of employees said their productivity levels have increased since they have been working from home.
The research also found that if working from home became a permanent benefit, just over a third (34%) would miss seeing colleagues every day and 23% would miss leaving the house, however, almost half (49%) cited the lack of a commute as a bonus of home working.
John Goulding, chief executive officer at Workvivo, said: “Remote work was a major adjustment for businesses all over the world, but clearly we’re now seeing a very tangible and explicit desire and expectation for longer-term flexibility among employees. As [organisations] work to attract and maintain talent, it will be vital to offer this flexibility to compete.
“With the workforce now distributed, it’s also crucial that employers consider how they’re communicating with their employees. Email and Slack aren’t enough to engage employees around what's important for the organisation. It’s more important than ever that employees feel part of something bigger than themselves, and the right technology can be a powerful enabler to ensure this.”
