New survey says 76% of remote workers want to stay at home permanently

There are many things that the COVID-19 pandemic has changed, and one of them is certainly how millions of people now go to work. 

In fact, a new survey seems to show that remote workers are here to stay — and if their current employer doesn’t allow them to continue to work at home, they’ll find one that does. 

The non-scientific poll of 2,000 Americans commissioned by Kintone shows that 76% of remote workers would “jump at the chance” to remain working home, and 72% wouldn’t even consider working for a company that doesn’t have a remote work policy. 

Seventy-one percent of those already working remotely say they don’t miss their old office at all, and nearly half said a remote work policy is now their number-one priority when it comes to employment.

The poll also drilled down into what would make at-home employees’ jobs easier: 48% said better internet, while 38% want new office equipment.

On the flipside, 36% said their job is more difficult from home, and 34% say they’re too distracted at home to work effectively.

However, 71% said their work-life balance finally balanced out when they could punch a clock remotely. Forty-five percent enjoyed the flexibility in their schedule that working from home affords them, and 44% say they enjoy the ability to take breaks any time, with the average remote worker doing so around every 2.5 hours.

That said, 29% responded that they’ve found themselves working more since they started working from home. However, just over half — 51% of those polled — said they felt their work was acknowledged after the pandemic sent them home to work.