A study conducted by One Poll and Commissioned by Kintone gathered 2000 Americans working remotely because of the pandemic to ask about their attitudes on working from home. The results showed that 48% of the respondents wanted to work at a place that enabled them to work remotely. Others were adamant about the policy, saying they would not work somewhere that didn’t offer the option (72%).
About 74% of the respondents had no desire to return to an office setting, while 76% said they would prefer to work from home permanently. Only 36% thought working from home was more challenging.
About 71% of the respondents reported having better work-life balance since they began working from home. Employees reported that they liked being able to take breaks when they needed to (44%). Others said they liked having a more flexible schedule (45%). Another 51% said bosses acknowledged their efforts in the workplace more.
Americans face challenges while working from home
According to Dave Landa, the CEO of Kintone, more people have come to embrace working remotely, and employees should use the opportunity to create a more balanced life.
While many Americans would like to work from home permanently, there have been some drawbacks. These include being distracted (34%), not having office equipment (35%), and challenges while communicating with colleagues (36%).
Americans suggest ways to improve the work from home experience
Many of the respondents would like to improve their environment at home to enable them to work better remotely. Improvements suggested include buying a desk (38%), computer (40%), and upgrading their internet.
Another 22% say the company should try and meet their employees’ needs while they work from home. They suggested a few ways employers could better the work from home experience. About 46% thought adjusting policies such as expectations and working hours would help remote employees. Others thought companies should pay employees for what they spent on the internet (43%), and some said bosses should provide them with a laptop (41%).
About 52% of the respondents believed employers should try and communicate directly with their workers. Another 57% thought this was more efficient when people worked in the office, while 36% said they had faced challenges communicating with their bosses.
