Study Reveals Bosses Are Open to Half-Week Remote Work

New Survey Finds Remote Work Trends Have Leveled Off, with Older Workers Spending More Time in the Office than Younger Colleagues

Two Days a Week: The New Norm for Remote Work, According to Survey

A recent survey on US working habits reveals that 2.2 days per week is the average amount of remote work employers plan to offer in the coming year. Conducted by WFH Research’s Survey of Working Arrangements and Attitudes, this figure shows a slight decrease from 2.4 days in June 2022 but indicates a continued commitment to hybrid work post-pandemic. Interestingly, workers themselves prefer about 2.8 days per week at home, slightly more than what employers are offering.

Remote Work Trends Stabilize

The survey, which has gathered over 200,000 responses since May 2020 from US residents aged 20-64 who can work from home, aligns with previous studies showing employees' reluctance to return to the office full-time.

This trend persists despite high-profile companies enforcing stricter return-to-office policies. Many tech giants have rolled back their WFH policies in recent years, with video game publisher Rockstar recently mandating a five-day in-office schedule to complete production of Grand Theft Auto VI. Amazon and Meta have adopted a three-day in-office model, Disney and KPMG require four days, and Elon Musk has insisted on full-time office attendance for Tesla and X employees.

Interestingly, the survey found that the 'Information' sector is currently the least likely to have staff fully on-site, with only 31% of respondents reporting full-time office attendance. Meanwhile, 23% of respondents in this sector work entirely from home, second only to the 26% in "Professional and Business Services."

Younger Employees Spend Less Time in the Office

The survey revealed that in May 2024, 27% of all paid working days in the US were conducted from home. Additionally, 41.1% of workers who have the option to work from home now do so on a hybrid basis, compared to 38.8% who are fully on-site and 20.3% who work exclusively from home.

The survey also examined the working habits of different age groups. It found that respondents aged 50-64 are 11% more likely to work entirely on-site than those aged 20-29, with 68.2% of the older group permanently in the office. Conversely, 42.8% of workers aged 20-29 either work in a hybrid arrangement or are fully remote.

These statistics are understandable given that many respondents aged 20-29 entered the workforce during or just after the COVID-19 pandemic, when remote work was more prevalent.

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