Three Things to Know About Employee Attitudes Toward Flexible Work
Workers’ needs vary, and so do their preferences about where and when they do their jobs.
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A survey conducted by researchers at the London School of Economics and Political Science of professionals in the U.S. and U.K. found that most workers would prefer to spend more of their time working remotely than they currently do. Many also showed interest in condensed work schedules, such as a four-day workweek, and about a quarter said they would be willing to sacrifice salary for their preferred work schedule.
Five years into the large-scale shift to remote working — and with mandates to return to the office proliferating — what are current employees’ attitudes toward flexible work? We conducted a survey of 1,450 professionals across the U.K. and U.S. in 2024 to learn how much workplace flexibility is valued by employees of all ages. Here’s what we found:
1. Employees want (a little) more remote time in their workweek. Most employees aren’t interested in working from home all the time. Overall, they spend about 30% of their week working remotely but would prefer a ratio closer to 40%. Three-quarters of employees reported not working their ideal remote-work ratio. Among the age cohorts, Generation Z employees spent the most time working remotely (33.5% of weekly hours) and were most likely to favor working remotely more often. They were also the age cohort most likely to leave an employer that didn’t support their ideal remote-work scenario.
2. Demand for condensed workweeks is expected to rise. More than half of surveyed workers nominated the standard “9-to-5, five-day week” as their current and preferred work pattern, with many of those hours spent working remotely. But condensed weeks are poised to rise in popularity: Only 12% of respondents reported working a three- or four-day workweek, but 20% expressed a preference for it. (See “The Surprising Viability of the Four-Day Workweek.”)
3. Many (not most) workers are willing to sacrifice salary for remote work and their ideal work pattern. Almost one-quarter of respondents said that they were prepared to sacrifice part of their salary to achieve either their ideal remote-work ratio or weekly work pattern. For these employees, their ideal ratio was worth sacrificing about $6,000 annually (14% of their salary) and achieving their ideal weekly work schedule was valued at around $7,700 per year (19% of their salary). Gen Z employees were the most willing to take a financial hit for their preferred work schedule, with 39% of them prepared to sacrifice 30% of their salary, on average.
Given these varying preferences, leaders should consider finding ways to give employees more autonomy and flexibility to set their schedules and working locations, rather than taking a one-size-fits-all approach.