Fully On-Site Work 'Relic of the Past' As Hybrid Picks Up Major Steam
Gallup expects hybrid work to increase to 55% of remote-capable workers by the end of this year.
Fully on-site work is expected to be a ‘relic of the past,” according to recent Gallup research that reveals just two out of 10 remote-capable employees expect to work 100% of the time from an office in the future.
The number is especially staggering when viewed through the lens of pre-pandemic surveys, in which a whopping 60% of those polled said they expected to be fully on-site. Just 6% want to work entirely on-site going forward.
Gallup estimates that more than 70 million US workers can do their job remotely, though fully remote work arrangements are expected to decline from three in 10 remote-capable employees in June to two in 10 for the long term (despite an estimated 34% wanting to permanently work from home). But interestingly, fully remote work arrangements are expected to nearly triple compared to pre-pandemic numbers.
“When asked where they plan to work long term — according to the plans their employer communicated — remote-capable employees confirmed that a hybrid work schedule will be the predominant office arrangement going forward. About 53% expect a hybrid arrangement, and 24% expect to work exclusively remotely,” according to Gallup’s Ben Wigert and Sangeeta Agrawal. “These changes will result in an office environment like we have never seen before, nearly doubling the number of people who will be working remotely at least part of their week (compared with pre-pandemic numbers).”
Hybrid work has increased from 42% to 49% in June and Gallup expects such arrangements to further increase to 55% of remote-capable workers by the end of this year. And “this shift aligns closely with the preferences of many remote-capable workers, as 60% want a long-term hybrid work arrangement,” analysts say.
The data could have big implications for turnover and retention, according to Wigert and Agrawal.
“Behavioral economics teaches us that people do not like to give up things they have acquired — we’re loss-averse by nature. Similarly, many employees working hybrid or fully remote have come to expect permanent remote flexibility,” they say. Six in 10 exclusively remote employees are “extremely likely to change companies” if not offered remote flexibility, the pair say, while three in 10 hybrid employees are “extremely likely” to change.