GALLUP: Employee Views and Preferences on Remote Work

By SBE Council at 17 December, 2024, 12:45 pm

by Raymond J. Keating – 

A recent Gallup report on hybrid work provides some valuable information for small business owners on the state of mobile/remote work.

U.S. employees with remote-capable jobs are the focus of the report. Gallup found “five in 10 full-time U.S. employees have remote-capable jobs.” The report offers a variety of findings, so the full Gallup analysis warrants reviewing, but three findings are worth highlighting here:

• First, “Six in 10 employees with remote-capable jobs want a hybrid work arrangement. About one-third prefer fully remote work, and less than 10% prefer to work on-site.” (See Gallup chart below.)

• Second, “Six in 10 exclusively remote employees say they are extremely likely to search for employment elsewhere if they are not allowed remote flexibility.”

• And third, hybrid workers supply information as to the possible positives and negatives involved with remote work, as noted in the following chart from Gallup. The positives point, overall, to more satisfied and productive workers, while the negatives point to less connection to the firm and co-workers.

In an ongoing tight labor market, these are insights from employees, and potential employees, that would serve small business owners and future entrepreneurs well.

Raymond J. Keating is chief economist for the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council. His latest books on the economy are The Weekly Economist: 52 Quick Reads to Help You Think Like an Economist, The Weekly Economist II: 52 More Quick Reads to Help You Think Like an Economist and The Weekly Economist III: Another 52 Quick Reads to Help You Think Like an Economist.