New data has revealed that nearly three-quarters of UK employees would agree to a reduction in pay in return for being able to work remotely on a permanent basis.
HR software provider CIPHR carried out the survey of 1,022 UK staff, and found that only 15% of people who have been working from home during the Covid-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic wanted to return to the workplace full-time.
A total of 72% of survey respondents said they would like to split their time between the workplace and working from home, with 11% wanting to work remotely full-time. Of those who are expecting to continue working remotely on a full-time basis, 43% would prefer to be able to return to the workplace either some or all of the time.
Additionally, 75% of workers said that they are somewhat or very concerned for their welfare with regards to Coronavirus if they are required to return to the workplace in some capacity, with 47% answering that the number of people allowed into the building each day should be limited.
Claire Williams, director of people and services at CIPHR, explained that there is a “disconnect” between what employees feel is going to be required of them and what they would actually do given the choice when it comes to returning to the workplace.
She said: “Employers need to be aware that the majority of people have a preference for working remotely in some capacity and they risk losing the skills and experience of some great people if they’re inflexible in their approach to remote working. Furthermore, employers may find it difficult to reject flexible working requests within the legal framework, on the basis that most employees have successfully worked from home whilst potentially also juggling childcare."
Williams added that, coupled with the introduction of new technology in daily ways of working, that "hopefully paves the way for more flexible employers across the board”.
