FlexJobs found 61% of parents prefer to work remotely full-time in a recent survey, and 37% would rather a hybrid approach. Further, 62% of working parents say they would leave their current job without a remote work option.
FlexJobs interviewed over 1,100 working parents with children (18 or younger) living at home. Working from home, 21% of working families were able to save around $200 per week. Besides, 66% think that remote work will improve gender equity – although the female workforce hit a 33-year low in 2021.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 38% of working parents had to reduce working hours or quit a full-time position because of childcare responsibilities during the pandemic. (Also in: Dixon, Drew. “First Coast Unemployment Rate Falls.” Florida Times-Union, Florida Times-Union, 17 May 2014, p. B.6.). Even before the COVID crisis, over 51% of working parents notice better productivity working remotely. Career development manager and coach at FlexJobs and Remote.co Brie Weiler Reynoldsadds believes in the potential of remote work for parents.
As he states: “Given the added stressors from pandemic living, the fact that 62% of working parents who worked remotely during the pandemic would give up their jobs if forced back to the office says a lot about how valuable remote work has been to them.”
While most companies are improving remote models for employees, working parents prefer remote work and inspire new models.