Remote workers willing to return to office – if the price is right

Many employees experienced remote working for the first time during the pandemic and found they enjoyed the freedom it offered. Now that the pandemic is over, businesses often find it challenging to get them to return to the office.

Three-fourths of Fortune 500 companies have initiated a return-to-office mandate since 2021, with most staff in the workplace for three days per week. Three in 10 workers have been subjected to a mandatory return policy, with a further 40% saying returning was “heavily encouraged.”

Many companies offer incentives to encourage employers to return to the office. Ringover, a business communications provider, asked current or recent remote workers what perks would draw them back to the workplace.

“For 3.7% of remote working employees, no amount of salary increase or in-office perks are enough to convince them of a return to the office,” the survey report said. “However, for the remaining 96.3% who see a middle ground, there are various conditions and offers they’d look for in order to make a return-to-office mandate more palatable.”

What do remote workers expect from their employers?

• Eight in 10 would be encouraged to go back to the office if their commute was paid for by their organization.
• An average pay rise of $7,500 annually will make the most people (48%) return to the office.
• More than three-fourths of remote workers expect a pay increase of some sort, and two-thirds would be willing to quit to negotiate a deal
• Seven in 10 workers are willing to work in the office twice or three times each week, closely aligning with their employers’ policies.
• Other perks that workers said would entice them back into the office include a paid-for onsite gym (77%), more time with coworkers who are friends (76%), increased charitable contributions by their organization (76%) and a four-day work week (74%).

Related: Majority of workers forced back to the office are looking to change jobs

“Of all the employees happy to discuss a return to the office with their employer or who have done so already, 100% of them confirmed they want at least one change to their working agreement from above in order to do so,” the report said. “Our research suggests that while workers demand more perks from their employees to return to the office more regularly, staff are fundamentally willing to attend on the days requested by their employers, showing once again hybrid work is the new norm in the work week.”