Just under half (49%) of employees believe that pay and benefits should be based on ability regardless of where an employee is based, according to research by Remote.
The research published in August 2020, which surveyed 764 employees, also found that almost a third (30%) believe that pay and benefits should be based on local cost of living, with a further 21% citing this should be a combination of both ability and the cost of living.
Additionally, the most popular benefits for employees working remotely are pension schemes, with under half (41%) listing this benefit as important, a home office set-up allowance (39%), and just over one-third (36%) believing that healthcare is an important benefit.
Almost three-quarters (70%) would stay with their employer for at least one year longer if they were given the option to work remotely, with a further 22% saying they would stay for ten years longer if this was a core benefit.
The findings also revealed that just under half (47%) believe that culture is important for hiring new staff members, while a similar number (48%) citing this as an important way to retaining staff.
Furthermore, for employees aged 55 and above, over half (53%) believe that trust is the most important aspect of a business.
When asked what the biggest working from home issues are, over a third (35%) say time differences are challenging, 34% say technical set-up is an issue, just under one-third (31%) lack face to face contact, while 30% have challenges complying with local labour laws and 20% have problems managing new legal entities.
Further findings revealed that two-thirds (66%) of businesses plan to increase options for flexible and remote working, with 19% planning to a permanent remote working policy and 47% offering more flexibility to their employees. In addition to this, only 6% of US businesses and 12% of UK businesses would see no benefit to remote working.
Additionally, 41% of businesses believe remote working will open up growth for their businesses, while 28% believe remote work will reduce absenteeism.
Job van der Voort, chief executive at Remote, said: “Going remote is not just a matter of replicating physical work processes in a virtual environment. Remote working can be transformational for a business and its employees, but there are different considerations. Equality of pay, clear benefits and connectivity are all key for remote workers.”
