A new survey verifies that a whopping 65% of workers who state that their jobs can be done entirely remotely are willing to take a 5% reduction to stay at home! To remain remote, employees are also ready to give up benefits and PTO’s.
This fascinating report raises the question: What would you sacrifice to be able to work from home forever?
An online survey commissioned by Breeze, an insurance company, found that 65% of American workers who said their jobs could be operated entirely remotely were willing to take a pay cut of 5%, which could represent several years of annual raises; to stay at home.
An online survey was conducted July 20-21 of 1,000 people whose jobs can be done remotely.
The online survey, conducted by the polling firm Pollfish on July 20 and 21, included answers from 1,000 people who stated they were “employed or looking for work at a job that can be completed entirely remotely.”
Most people said they wouldn’t give up more than 5%, but 15% of respondents said they’d be willing to shave off 25% of their salary to be remote. 46% (nearly half) declared they would give up a quarter of their days off, and 15% said they would give up all paid time off to be able to work from home!
That could be a rational financial trade-off, depending on the cost of commuting.
A study last year estimated that people were saving hundreds of dollars a month on commuting expenses by working from home.
Most people surveyed said they would also accept a 5% salary reduction to be able to stay in a job that lets them work from home.
And with the pandemic continuing with the Delta variant, another lockdown may be looming for the USA.
This is just at a point when the majority of people are just starting to adjust to the ‘new normal’. Many have left big cities and moved to the country.
After more than a year of full or partial remote work in many white-collar industries, employers, companies and corporation are attempting to get workers back to the office, which is proving quite difficult.
To entice workers back, some companies are holding wild back-to-work parties and dishing out cool prizes. This could be handing out free lunch or child care, with some even offering yoga classes!
However, some workers aren’t that pleased or easily coaxed by these ‘freebies’. Some are more concerned about their health, have domestic responsibilities, have kids, are going through family difficulties, don’t want to return to an undesirable commute or toxic work culture.
Breeze spoke to Scott Penick, a 41-year old father of four and full-time attorney, who moved from New Jersey to South Carolina when the pandemic began. He took a pay cut of roughly $50,000 but sees the flexibility of remote work as priceless:
“Along with my wife and four kids, at 41 years old I moved back into the house I grew up in, where my mom still lives. It can be really humbling at times, but the flexibility and time with family are priceless.
Before we buy our own home, we hope to travel and rent AirBnBs for extended periods of time around the country. I can do that, because I am 100% remote”.
In a humorous way to end the story, the poll also asked what else people would give up for the option to work remotely. More than half said they’d give up Netflix, social media or Amazon for a whole year! A third of respondents even said they’d give up the right to vote in all future national and local elections!
At 44 per cent, Gen Z was most likely to give up their right to vote, while Baby Boomers were most reluctant, with only 27% saying they would give it up.
Read the full statistics here.
