(Credit: Nationwide)
Although employees want flexibility in where and when they work, 1 in 3 business owners are nervously preparing to announce a return-to-office policy and the fallout from that decision, according to a survey from Nationwide.
As it stands, half of business owners and employees are now working full-time in person compared with 35% at the height of the pandemic, Nationwide reported.
(Credit: Nationwide) While business owners are worried workers will leave if they institute a return-to-office mandate, 62% of employees said they would not consider leaving a job solely because of return-to-work plans. That being said, millennial and Gen Z employees are more interested in flexibility, and 62% of millennials and 51% of Gen Z would consider looking for a new job based on those plans.
"Three-quarters of U.S. workers received flexibility with how and when they worked during the pandemic, and of those who didn't have flexibility, 42% considered leaving their jobs as a result," Linda Stueber, senior vice president for commercial lines at Nationwide, said in a release. "Employers who are able to demonstrate continued flexibility and personalization for employees in their work will be most successful in today's competitive labor market."
Age aside, workers seem split on what they want. Nationwide found that 35% of employees would prefer to be in person, while the same amount wants a hybrid work arrangement and 30% want to only work remotely.
Additionally, the Great Resignation is showing signs of an end as few business owners reported increases in retirements during the past six months, and only 4% of employees have said they started a new full-time job in the same time period, Nationwide found.
"With work from home, work from office and dozens of hybrid work options in between likely to remain part of the modern work environment, it's a good time for employers to really think about the kinds of work that can be done in an office and what can be done remotely," Stueber said. "Having this clarity and looking for ways to provide flexibility can help business owners attract and retain employees and keep their long-term business plans on track."
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