According to data from the quarterly Randstad Workmonitor survey,, although 82 percent of U.S. workers surveyed say the ability to work from anywhere at any time allows them to maintain a healthy work-life balance, more than half (62 percent) still prefer to work in the office — and this number is even higher among young workers. Sixty-five percent of those aged 18-24 said they prefer working in a traditional office environment, challenging the widespread perception that millennial and Gen Z workers tend to prefer digital interactions over personal ones.
Although flexible and remote work arrangements are a top priority for employees, that’s not necessarily the case for employers, who often don’t offer any or provide enough tools to fully support them:
- Sixty-six percent of workers say they like the option of occasionally working from home or another location, but aren’t able to do so.
- Thirty-six percent of respondents report their workplaces support working from home any time and anywhere they want.
- A third (35 percent) of employees disagree that their employers provide the necessary technical equipment to enable them to work from home.
- Thirty percent of workers say they regularly have online or virtual team meetings via video conferencing.
Working from home or another location is an attractive option to employees:
- Sixty-six percent of workers say they prefer to occasionally work from home or another location.
- Eighty percent of workers say they like agile work (defined in the study as the ability to work from anywhere, anytime) because it increases their productivity, creativity and job satisfaction.
- More than half of all respondents (61 percent) don’t believe this type of work interferes with their personal lives, or their ability to disconnect from work.