PHYS.ORG surveyed 585,000 employees about remote work and if they planned to relocate during the next six months. Out of 3,000 responses, 1,361 people plan to relocate or have recently moved to more affordable locations. Most respondents expect a full remote-work arrangement based on the distance, and another portion would prefer to commute than come back to the city.
After the 2020 pandemic, most employees relocated to cheaper locations following benefits for remote work. Most of these workers moved away following the announcement of hybrid and remote work models.
As the vaccination campaign kicks off, however, employees fear a sudden return to the office and are willing to leave their current job without remote options. If remote work is here to stay, most employees are concerned about their companies’ unclear policies.
Remote Work And Return To The Office: Employees Concerns And Expectation
Relocate to Affordable Locations
Almost a quarter of workers consider or plan to move more than 50 miles away from headquarters and central offices. Furthermore, 12% have already moved away during the pandemic without a new job.
Following last March’s global lockdown, most employees moved away from big cities to more affordable locations. The survey shows that most people quit their current job rather than moved back to expensive cities.
Clarity of Remote Work Policies
According to the surveys, the majority of employees have doubts about future remote work policies. As the vaccination campaign goes on, most people are afraid to be forced to return to the office. Even when companies extend their remote work policies, almost a quarter of the people said their leaders didn’t have a clear remote plan for the future.
Rethinking Company Culture
After months of remote work, how employees perceive company culture is changing. In the survey, some people shared doubts about physical get-together and forced water coolers. In addition, most employees are more interested in remote work resources, policies on flexibility and communication to create corporate culture than anything else.
