Seventy-five percent of knowledge workers never want to give up working remotely, Nitro‘s latest productivity survey suggests.
Most respondents to the PDF and e-signature software vendor’s poll across the US, UK, Germany and Australia confirmed that support for working from home (WFH) is either ‘extremely’ or ‘very’ important to them when considering future job opportunities.
Gina O’Reilly, chief operating officer of Nitro, said working remotely over an extended period during Covid-19 has given many office-bound employees greater control over their working day and flexibility over their lives.
“Without commutes and the need to be in an office from nine to five, Monday to Friday, employees can now largely dictate their own schedules, adapting to the needs of their families, taking time out for self-care, managing life’s day-to-day task list, all while getting their work done,” she said in a press release.
The results from Nitro’s 2022 Productivity Report was an online Qualtrics poll based on a small sample of 600 full- and part- time ‘knowledge workers’ and 140 ‘business leaders’ across the four countries.
However, the findings echo many other polls and surveys that predict continued or increased hybrid working post-pandemic.
“At Nitro, we announced a Flexible Forever policy last year which we think offers the best of both worlds – virtual-first with in-person time where and when it’s most valuable.
“We believe this kind of approach is what employees will most appreciate in a post-pandemic world,” O’Reilly added.
According to Nitro, while there is some desire to return to the office, most employees want to continue WFH in some capacity and expect employers to offer remote work options post-pandemic.
“Forty-six percent of knowledge workers plan to work remotely more frequently even after the pandemic ends, and 71% feel extremely or very prepared to work from home long-term,” the company said.
Responses suggested that in 2020 the proportion of workers feeling moderately stressed dropped 12%, with job satisfaction up six percent. The share who reported no stress at all rose by 66% among poll respondents, Nitro said.
Nitro’s conclusions correlate increased remote working with going paperless, with 50% of respondents saying they were using physical documents and paper-based processes less during the pandemic.
