While some companies have embraced the remote working environment brought on by the pandemic, others are urging their employees to come back to their offices again. But what do staff want?
New data released today by BruntWork, the world’s leading outsourcing firm according to Apple News & Digital Journal, revealed that 85% of workers don’t want to go back to an office ever. Remote work suits them fine.
But how does this impact healthiness? Many employees have enjoyed the perks of being able to work from home such as no commutes, lunch breaks with partners and being accompanied by their pets. Furthermore, offices are usually close to fast food restaurants, a temptation that is often too difficult to resist.
New Study On Remote Work
BruntWork’s survey of over 500 remote workers found that the ability to work remotely is strongly linked to being healthier. 80% of respondents indicated they were healthier working remotely, and a further 18.5% reported losing weight when switching out of an office environment. Many roles are now purely digital, including social media management and virtual assistance. Office environments no longer make sense.
Winston Ong, CEO of BruntWork, argues that working from home is better for employee happiness, productivity and sustainability and gives SMEs immediate options for saving costs versus hiring locally. “Having your employees work from an office might make sense in the short term. But if it results in employees being unhealthy due to a lack of options for eating affordable, good quality food and a lack of time to exercise, it can result in a drop in sustainability and performance that can be far more severe than an empty office building.”
Ong added: “In a sense, companies can improve employee happiness by simply allowing them to work from home more and at the same time add to their bottom line. Once a company transitions to remote, the options for hiring global talent increase exponentially. Not only does this benefit the environmental footprint of your company, but it also helps improve employee morale as well as improving a company’s bottom line.”
BruntWork’s study found that working from home not only benefits employees by eliminating their daily commutes, it also increases productivity and leads to healthier lifestyles. It’s a win-win situation that workers relish for its flexibility. But surprising benefits ensue for remote workers. 97% of respondents indicated their relationship with their significant partner improved when working from home. And 98% of those surveyed with children reported stronger relationships with their off-spring.
With such marked improvements in quality of life, why would anyone want to go back to an office.
