SAN DIEGO —
Help wanted signs posted in storefronts across America. Worker shortages in hotels and restaurants. Companies are offering $500 to new hires and increasing wages for some employees.
As more offices open back up, workers want options.
“I think people have seen first-hand the benefits of flexible work arrangements,” said Elizabeth Lyons, UCSD Associate Professor of Management.
A recent survey from the networking site, Blind, found 64% of working professionals would pass on a $30,000 pay raise if it meant they could keep their work-from-home setup.
Respondents' salaries were not reported in the survey.
Zillow, Twitter, and Microsoft employees were among the most to want to work remote but employees at San Diego-based Qualcomm said they would take the raise.
“Workers like feeling they are valued and like feeling they are doing a good job and if managers can make clear why - what is the performance benefit - of going back to work, workers are going to be much more likely to be on board,” said Lyons.
News 8 took the question to social media.
Laney wrote, “Raise??? sign me up...I'm on my way to the office now!”
But Alicia commented, “Depends on a few different things like one’s commute and therefore their gas tank.”
People also have childcare issues and health concerns during the pandemic.
This could also be generational. The term “Boomer power-play” is being thrown around by younger generations.
A Bloomberg study found that Gen Z and Millennials are more likely to consider quitting their job before being forced back to the office.
“CEOs are also millennials and they too see huge productivity benefits to some days in the office. So I push back on this being a generational thing,” said Lyons.
She said despite the studies that show this remote work or quit mantra, she believes there will not be a mass exodus rather a way to create better worker productivity.
“I'm not worried, I think it's an opportunity for managers to do better by workers, involve them in the decision-making processes,” said Lyons.
A recent SANDAG study found that remote work nearly doubled during the pandemic, but now only about 1 in 6 businesses said they expect employees to work from home most of the time.
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