The dust has settled on the great “remote work experiment” of 2020 – and it’s not just an experiment. What we thought would be one month working from our living rooms turned out to be a complete lifestyle change for many, often for the better.
About three years later, we have companies that have embraced remote work that didn’t even exist when the pandemic hit. We all remember the wildly differing statistics and anecdotes about remote work that emerged in 2020, when organizations were flying by the seat of their pants and improvising WFH strategies… but what about now?
With plenty of new statistics and studies that focus on remote work post-pandemic, we can get a much better look at what the landscape actually looks like heading into 2023. Here are ten of the most interesting ones:
16% of companies worldwide are fully remote, while 44% are fully on-site.
The fact that 44% of companies being fully on-site is a number that seems too high is an immediate sign the universe of work has completely transformed. Much of that 44% is inherently on-site jobs like health and construction, while much of the remote 16% is office jobs like sales and human resources.
70% of jobs offered by startups post-pandemic are remote-capable.
The first statistic represents the present, while this statistic represents the future. Most startups are fully embracing remote positions in order to save on early operating costs and attract new talent who are more accustomed to working from home. Today’s startups are tomorrow’s corporations; if they commit to remote workforces long-term, it could dictate the future of work in their fields.
More than three times as many American employees are working remotely today than in 2019.
There’s hardly been a shift back to the office now that the pandemic is under control; about 28 million Americans (18%) are still remote, compared to 9 million (5.8%) before COVID hit. It’s completely transformed certain industries, such as governmental/municipal – a huge 48% of workers in Washington DC work from home.
Of 800 employers surveyed, only 6% say working on-site in the past was more productive than working from home.
The big question in 2020 was whether productivity was sustainable in organizations that weren’t accustomed to a remote work environment. Not only was remote work proven viable, but nowadays, there’s almost nobody left that prefers on-site work from a productivity perspective.
Remote workers report being happy 22% more consistently than on-site workers.
There are a number of reasons why working from home results in greater satisfaction than working on site – it’s a more relaxing environment, your breaks are flexible, and you get to skip your commute. WFH can also make a tremendous difference for parents who can keep an eye on their little ones. It’s a good thing remote work is proven to be just as productive!
Of 9,000 workers surveyed, 72% prefer a hybrid work environment to fully remote or fully on-site.
Even though most people are a bit happier working from home than in the office, they also enjoy a healthy balance of both. Slack, who conducted the survey, found that only 13% of workers preferred to never work in person, while 12% wanted to always work in person. If you’ve got employees within an easy drive, they probably won’t mind coming in once or twice a week for some of their more important projects.
59% of job-seekers would choose a job that offers remote work over a similar job that doesn’t.
Falling right in line with previous statistics, incoming talent usually keeps an eye out for remote opportunities nowadays. For an employer, this means that hosting a hybrid or WFH team widens your potential talent pool and can save you time and money on recruitment efforts. You might even be able to land that dream candidate you’ve been hoping for.
23% of workers surveyed by Owl Labs would take a 10% pay cut to work from home permanently.
Disclaimer: we do not want you to take this literally. This is just a reflection of how much some workers want to ditch the commute and stay home for the future of their careers, enough that they’re willing to be paid less. Just don’t actually pay them less!
It’s estimated that employees can save about $11,000 annually per employee by making them remote.
A seldom discussed element of the work-from-home revolution is the money companies can save by letting their team work remotely. Thanks to projected increases in productivity and employee retention, as well as some office space that no longer needs to be rented, Global Workplace Analytics estimates that savings could be 5 figures per person. There’s that room for a raise you’ve been looking for!
32% of current remote employees would quit their jobs if they had to return to the office full-time.
Fortunately, we’ve exited that state of limbo millions of workers found themselves in two years ago that put a big question mark on their future work environments. However, that doesn’t mean the fear of a return to the office has left some employees. About a third of workers would rather quit their jobs entirely than return to the daily commute. If your team has settled in to the remote lifestyle, it’s best to leave them be.
If you’re interested in a ton more statistics about employee retention, check this article out! All of our other resources can be found in our Library – see them here! To see HelloTeam, the employee retention platform, in action, click here — and to set up a meeting with us, go here!