According to this survey, 95% of remote workers would return to the office for a pay raise and 83% would if their commuting costs were paid by their employer. But are companies willing to pony up?
Remote workers say they’d return to the office with the right incentive
By Andy Medici – Senior Reporter, The Playbook, The Business Journals
The vast majority of remote workers would willingly return to the office for a pay raise, and some CEOs have said they’d at least consider the idea.
A survey of 1,038 workers who are currently remote, or have been within the past 12 months, by communication platform Ringover found 95% would return to the office for a pay raise. About 48% would return for a raise of $5,000 to $10,000 per year, while 27% said a pay raise of $2,000 to $5,000 a year would get them back to their workplace in person.
Meanwhile, 12.6% said they wanted more than $10,000 per year and 5% said no amount of money would interest them.
Another potential way to get remote workers back to the office is with a paid commute benefit. About 83.2% in the survey said they would return to the office if their commute was paid for by their employer.
The survey also found workers would return to the office for at least a couple days a week for a four-day workweek, charitable contributions and on-site gym and wellness facilities. About 72% said they would be willing to come in two or three days a week.
Many CEOs aren’t opposed to incentivizing the return.
The 2023 U.S. CEO Outlook survey by corporate-services firm KPMG found 90% of responding saying they would reward employees who make an effort to come back to the office with raises, promotions or favorable assignments.
Of course, many companies are requiring office returns or dialing back hybrid policies without ramping up perks as employers gain leverage in the hiring market.