Nov. 22 (UPI) — After the COVID-19 pandemic forced many companies to allow temporary remote work, a new YouGov survey finds more than half of all U.S. women would prefer to work from home permanently compared to 44% of men.
“What had once been a privilege before the pandemic became a necessity for business survival. And as time passed, remote work became normalized for both workers and employers,” YouGovAmerica authors said. The survey also found that women place a higher value on flexible work schedules, as well as locations.
The survey was completed by 4,000 working adults in the United States during the spring and summer of this year. In addition to the survey, the YouGov findings also referenced a McKinsey report published last month that found women leaders switched jobs at the highest rate ever in 2021.
When workers were asked about their ideal work situation, almost two-thirds preferred hybrid or fully remote work. Women were more likely to desire work flexibility with 72% of women saying they wanted the ability to vary their schedule and location compared to 57% of men.
Not surprisingly, men were more likely than women to accept working full-time at their employer’s location. For men, 43% said they were willing to return to the office on a permanent basis, compared to just 28% of women.
The YouGov findings also showed gender variations when it came to an employer’s flexibility to navigate child care, household tasks and elderly care.
“Given these gender differences, businesses that support flexibility with office work policies are likely to have the broadest positive engagement from workers,” the survey’s authors wrote.
“Companies that rise to the moment will attract and retain women leaders — and that this will lead to a better workplace for everyone,” the authors of the McKinsey report wrote last month.
“The COVID-19 crisis and racial reckoning of 2020 pushed corporate America to reimagine the way we work. Two-and-a-half years in, employees don’t want to return to the workplace of the past,” the authors said. “They want to move forward.”
