A new survey of US workers has found that 91% of those who are currently working at least some of their hours remotely wanted to continue doing so after the pandemic. The Gallup survey also found that, “given the high proportion of white-collar jobs traditionally done in an office, the remote rate among these workers is particularly noteworthy.”
White-collar workers stay home
In September 2021, 67% of those in white-collar jobs were working from home either exclusively (41%) or as part of a hybrid arrangement (26%). In the US, as in the UK, working remotely has become the norm.
James Moir, Director of Operations at Work Here, Work There, has seen this first-hand through his work providing last-mile technical support services to companies in the professional services sector in the UK.
He comments:
“Employees’ mindset has changed when it comes to working remotely. Increasingly, the right to do so is becoming an expectation rather than an aspiration. This means that professional services that want to attract the best talent need to move with the times and implement long-term remote or hybrid working arrangements. Those that don’t risk watching their talent drain away and be snapped up by their more forward-thinking competitors.”
Why is remote working so desirable?
According to Gallup, the lack of commute is the top reason cited by those working from home for continuing to want to do so. Professionals also cited improvements to their wellbeing and the enhanced flexibility that working from home provides among their chief motivations.
The pandemic has changed much about the way that we view work and our expectations in terms of flexibility, accountability and responsibility. Within the professional services sector, leading firms are embracing the potential that this offers and finding that they can have happier and more productive workforces when they get it right.