As office returns get postponed, workers say they’d take pay cut to work from home

[OneMoreThing...]

Enlarge / Apple's global headquarters in Cupertino, California. (credit: Sam Hall/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

As Apple and other big tech companies postpone their planned returns to physical offices, a survey has found that workers around the United States would give up a lot to stay remote.

As previously reported by ZDNet, GoodHire published a survey this week of 3,500 workers in the US and found that just over two-thirds of them would prefer to work remotely rather than in an office.

Further, 70 percent of those said they would give up most or all of their benefits like health insurance and holidays to be able to work remotely. Sixty-one percent say they would take a pay cut to make it happen. Most said they'd take a 10 percent pay reduction, but some claimed they'd even accept half their current salary in exchange for remote work.

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[chscag]

I don't blame them. The worst traffic in the US is located in the Bay area and LA. Who wants to do that every day?

However, I can understand that Apple would rather have the workers present for duty where they can keep an eye on them.

 

[MacInWin]

I read somewhere that productivity of work from home during the various lockdowns was in the order of 60% of what it had been before. So if a worker will take a 50% cut to be 60% productive, that might be a win for the company. But a 10% cut for 60% productivity is definitely not good for the company.

 

[Lifeisabeach]

I read somewhere that productivity of work from home during the various lockdowns was in the order of 60% of what it had been before. So if a worker will take a 50% cut to be 60% productive, that might be a win for the company. But a 10% cut for 60% productivity is definitely not good for the company.

And I've read people are MORE productive when working from home. There are always outliers in either direction, of course, but work quotas are pretty much fixed for many positions, so if you can get it done in the office or from home, what does it matter? My ex worked from home full time and she was busier than ever compared to when she didn't.

 

[Raz0rEdge]

I think, IMHO, people are more productive at home since they are working way more hours than they normally would going into the office. Even if you exclude the commute time, people start earlier and end later. This was especially true earlier in the pandemic during harsh lockdowns here you could not leave the house at all. These days, I imagine people are getting back out there more and productivity should be returning to pre-pandemic days.

Either way, at least in tech, I'm seeing very little reason for people to take a pay cut. Lots of companies are expanding their geography of hiring and are paying well across the board.

 

[MacInWin]

The studies that showed that workers are more productive at home were mostly from pre-pandemic times. Before the pandemic, employees that were allowed to work away from the office were the most productive, most trustworthy. Working from home was a "reward" for good work at the office in a sense. But when the pandemic came and EVERYBODY went home, the results were disappointing. As I said, I read in the Wall Street Journal a few months ago that productivity took a real hit during that time. If I had the link, I'd post it, but I just read it and didn't keep the reference. Now the common wisdom is to get folks back into the office to get productivity up.

 

[Lifeisabeach]

The studies that showed that workers are more productive at home were mostly from pre-pandemic times. Before the pandemic, employees that were allowed to work away from the office were the most productive, most trustworthy. Working from home was a "reward" for good work at the office in a sense. But when the pandemic came and EVERYBODY went home, the results were disappointing. As I said, I read in the Wall Street Journal a few months ago that productivity took a real hit during that time. If I had the link, I'd post it, but I just read it and didn't keep the reference. Now the common wisdom is to get folks back into the office to get productivity up.

In all fairness though, a lot of these people had to also watch their kids due to school closures while working. Something that was also not a thing pre-pandemic.

 

[MacInWin]

In all fairness though, a lot of these people had to also watch their kids due to school closures while working. Something that was also not a thing pre-pandemic.

True. But that may be another incentive to companies to get workers back in the office. In the office the children are not a distraction. If companies allow them to work from home, the temptation will be to drop the daycare expenses and keep the kids at home, bringing back the distractions from productivity. It is not a win-win situation, for sure!

 

[chevyboy60013]

I cannot believe people actually want to work from home..... I for one look for reasons to escape, because I am trapped if I am at home, in the office building I was able to go outside to smoke, I'd roam around the building several times a day getting a Starbucks, or a snack, plus working at home is very difficult with my boyfriend at home working, as he believes in giving his job the full attention, where I'd rather be doing something else constantly than putting effort into the job. Also do not think offices and such should ever have been shut down.