61% of people working from home are doing so because they want to, even though their office is open
By | Jennifer Liu | www.cnbc.com
More people are choosing to work from home because they want to, even if their office is open and they’re less concerned about Covid risks, according to new findings from Pew Research Center.
According to a January survey of 5,889 workers, 61% of people working from home today say they’re not going into their workplace because they don’t want to, and 38% say their office is closed. It’s a reversal from October 2020, when 64% of people were working from home because their office was closed, and 36% were doing so out of preference.
Even as more offices open up, “people are making a conscious choice to work from home, rather than just out of necessity,” says Kim Parker, Pew’s director of social trends research.
Remote workers report better balance, more productivity
Teleworkers say they’re choosing to stay home for better work-life balance, productivity or because they’ve relocated away from the office. Fewer people say Covid is the main reason why they’re working from home (42% now vs. 57% in 2020). Roughly one-third of parents cite child care as a major reason they telework. And most say working from home hasn’t impacted their ability to advance in their career.
