Employees say they’re generally excluded from discussions about hybrid work and the return to the office — yet flexibility remains a must-have benefit.
Nearly 7 in 10 respondents to an October Eagle Hill survey said their employer has not asked for their input when it comes to remote and hybrid work preferences.
But employees continue to have strong opinions on the matter, with nearly half of surveyed workers saying they would consider leaving their job if their company reduced workplace flexibility, including 61% of millennials.
Respondents indicated that certain tasks benefit from being done in person, including highly social activities like integrating new team members, team building and managing team members. On the other hand, workers indicated that activities requiring individual contemplation — deep thinking, research and focus time — benefit from being done remotely.
Similarly, respondents said they could see the benefits of being at the office, naming more socialization, improved collaboration, the ability to leave work at the office, greater productivity and fewer distractions as chief among them. They cited reduced work-life balance, more stress, increased costs and commuting time as negatives, however.
Just as prior studies have found, Eagle Hill’s research shows employee preferences are not one-size-fits-all when it comes to work arrangements. Respondents were split almost equally on whether they were more productive spending the full day in the office, or only part of the day.
Experts have cautioned employers to approach return-to-office mandates with thoughtfulness and to consider their specific business goals in tailoring their policies.
