Over 80% Of Professionals Don't Want To Go Back To The Office Full-Time, Survey Finds
CAMBRIDGE (CBS) -- A lot of people don't want the work-from-home lifestyle to end, according to new research. A Harvard Business School Online survey found that 81% of professionals might miss their work colleagues, but they don't want to go back to the office full-time.
Sixty-one percent said they want to work at least two or three days per week from home, and 27% said they want to stay remote every day of the work week. Only 18% want to go back to the office full-time, according to the survey.
Parents with children at home were more likely to want to return to the office than those without kids. People in the northeast were more likely to want to stay remote, according to the survey.
Just over half - 51% - said they were not comfortable going back into the office until they are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus. And 71% said they'd be hesitant to return to the workplace until everyone in the office is fully vaccinated.
The survey also found that contrary to conventional wisdom, many people think working from home has been good for their professional development. One in three said they were able to focus better, and one in three also said they thought their performance and quality of work during the pandemic was actually better than the prior year.
Since many professionals have proved they were able to perform, and even excel, during the pandemic, they want more flexibility when returning to the workplace. https://t.co/TMCVxgV0v8 #RemoteWork #WFH
— Harvard Business School Online (@online_HBS) March 29, 2021
"The past year has been difficult for everyone, but what's surprising is how well people feel they've performed at work, while at home," said HBS Online Executive Director Patrick Mullane in a statement. "Now, as we're preparing to get back to 'business as usual,' it seems professionals don't want 'business as usual.' Instead, they want flexibility from their employers to allow them to maintain the new work/home balance and productivity they have come to enjoy."
Some people were able to develop good habits at home: 35% read more for professional growth and 59% made their health a priority. But not all the news was good - 34% felt professionally burned out and one in three people drank more in the past year.
Click here to see more results from the survey.