Why over a third of remote workers would rather quit their job than go back to the office

By Joseph Staples // SWNS

NEWS COPY w/ VIDEO + INFOGRAPHIC

Over a third of Americans currently working remotely would quit on the spot if they were asked to come into the office, according to new research.

A survey of 2,000 general population Americans found nearly half (49%) started a new job within the past year and 55% currently work remotely.

More than a third (39%) of remote workers would rather take a pay cut than step foot in an office. By comparison, 45% of in-person employees wouldn’t give up the extra dough and can power through being surrounded by cubicles.

Commissioned by Wise­­­­tail and conducted by OnePoll, the study asked employees who work from home and employees who work from an office to share their thoughts on a number of different issues.

Results found that remote workers feel like their company puts them first. While 49% of in-office workers believe they are the priority of the company, 59% of remote workers hold the same belief.

In addition to being seen as a priority, remote workers feel like the company they work for has made strides to improve employee treatment (52% versus 39%), relax sick leave policies (57% versus 48%) and offer better health insurance options (43% versus 31%) than in-office workers.

While remote workers take nine days to get fully acclimated to their new job, in-office workers only need eight. Still, 48% of remote workers believe it’s easier to be onboarded remotely than in-person. Meanwhile, only 30% of in-office workers believe in remote onboarding.

Overall, more than half (51%) of all workers agree that every company needs to have remote working options available, even if they plan on working from an office.

"An effective people strategy includes the ability to communicate and develop culture digitally alongside traditional training and onboarding. Although we’re further apart, we have a need to be closer than ever. Creating a digital community is vital to remote worker success," said Ali Knapp, president of prominent LMS and LXP software provider Wisetail.

 When deciding whether or not to take on a new job, 69% of respondents said benefits are a major deciding factor. Benefit must-haves include health insurance (55%), dental insurance (33%), retirement options (29%) and vision insurance (24%).

At the opposite end of things, employees don’t have an interest in having remote working tools supplied to them (11%), having a strong sick day policy in place (11%) and they don’t care for stock or equity options (10%).

Starting a new job while being remote can be a daunting task. Nearly seven in 10 (68%) of new hires within the past year started remotely.

Just as many (69%) spoke directly with their company’s CEO while being onboarded to their new position. On the other side of the coin, 52% of in-office employees did not have the same chance during their orientation process.

Three out of five (63%) of remote new hires feel nervous on their first day working a new job.

These first-day jitters come from being assigned too difficult tasks on their first day (34%), forgetting to mute/unmute themselves on calls (32%) and mistyping or mispronouncing names (26%).

Knapp stated, “First days always include a level of uneasiness and shifting to remote on boarding can exacerbate this experience. Today companies realize that investing in their people strategies including — learning, development, communication, and talent management — are key to overarching business strategies. As the world changes, employees are choosing to work with companies that invest in their people in the form of corporate responsibility, and that includes employee health and wellness. Another component of this is supporting employees in a remote setting, which includes investing in technology that strengthens the remote employee experience.”

WHAT BENEFITS DO AMERICANS WANT?

1. Health insurance                                                                 55%
2. Dental insurance                                                                 33%
3. Retirement plans/options                                                    29%
4. Vision insurance                                                                 24%
5. Having good company culture and morale                        17%
6. Being able to talk directly to my boss if needed                 14%
7. Being able to set my own hours                                         12%
8. Remote working tools                                                         11%
9. Having strong sick day policies                                          11%
10. Stock/equity options                                                           10%