Yes, we're all scared of the Delta variant, but the more visceral reasons that people want to keep working from home are striking, a poll found:
- 75% want to hang out with their pets.
- 73% want to watch TV while they work.
- 72% want to nap or exercise during the day.
- 62% are self-conscious about how they look.
Why it matters: The longer we stay out of the office, the more these personal priorities become ingrained — making return-to-the-office even more of a distant (and distasteful) possibility.
Details: The results come from a Pollfish survey of 1,000 people conducted in July for Digital.com (a procurement website for small businesses).
- "Participants had to pass through two screening questions to ensure they started working remotely during the pandemic and wished to stay working remotely," per Digital.com.
- When asked why they wanted to continue to WFH, most people gave predictable answers as their top reason — child care or commuting issues, as listed in the chart above.
- But most respondents listed other lifestyle factors as part of their consideration.
What they're saying: "The real reason I want to work from home is because I get ownership of my day: I don’t have to dress up for work, worry about my appearance or smile and make small talk when I feel like trash," said Naida Allen, a content writer at Tutor House, according to Digital.com.
- “There’s no one breathing down my neck, watching my every move and analyzing whether I’m 'working hard enough.'"
The bottom line: 14% of survey respondents said that "working remotely was so important to them they would not go back to work in-person even if their employers required it, instead giving up their positions to presumably find other remote opportunities."