WASHINGTON, D.C. – Almost 60 percent of Americans think COVID-19 has changed the way we work for the better, according to a national survey from personal finance website WalletHub.
The survey examined Americans’ thoughts about working from home during the coronavirus pandemic and a potential return to an office, including how being at home has affected productivity and what people miss most about the office.
“Around 67 percent of Americans think people who don’t want to return to the workplace should not be fired, which shows that most people are sympathetic to those who would rather work from home,” said Jill Gonzalez, WalletHub analyst. “It is troubling that a third of Americans think people who don’t want to return to work should be fired, considering the fact that the unemployment rate is already massive. People with high incomes are actually the least likely to say businesses should fire people who don’t want to return to the workplace, which could be explained by the fact that they have the most comfortable work-from-home conditions. The wealthy might already be in a position that allows them to not go back to the workplace, too.”
Only around a third of Americans think physical offices are a thing of the past, said Gonzalez, who thinks an office-free life won’t be coming any time soon.
“While we are very likely to see an expansion of work-from-home infrastructure in the future, let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” she said. “Even some office jobs cannot be done from home easily or securely. We’ll need to see a lot more technological advancement before working from home becomes an option for everyone.”
Most notable, the majority of people polled (six out of 10) think the pandemic has changed the way we work for the better.
“Although the pandemic has been devastating to American lives and the economy, it did show that more jobs are capable of being performed from home than we initially thought or would admit,” said Gonzalez. “A larger work-from-home infrastructure could have positive effects on public health, traffic and family life in the future.”
Click here for the complete survey results.
