There’s a lot to love about being able to work from home, even part of the time, and new research shows just how much people value that option. According to FlexJobs’ 2025 State of the Workforce Report, the majority of employees are against return-to-office mandates, and many would rather quit than have to go back to the office.
The report is based on a survey of more than 3-thousand U.S. professionals and it finds that a lot of them are pushing back on employers calling people back on-site.
- Three-quarters (76%) say they’d look for a new job if they weren’t allowed to work remotely anymore.
- That’s up nearly 20% from last year’s 57% who said they would “absolutely” look for another job if they couldn’t continue working remotely.
- More than a quarter (27%) know someone who has quit or is planning to because of return-to-office requirements.
- Just over half (53%) say they or someone they know has been required to return to the office in the past year. That’s a big jump from 23% last year.
- Job seekers want remote work as well, with 85% saying it’s the number one factor motivating them to apply for a job. They rate remote work higher than salary, benefits and work-life balance.
- Overall, only 2% of workers surveyed say they prefer working in the office full-time over being fully remote or hybrid.
- The report also shows that many employees are willing to make financial sacrifices to get the flexibility they want.
- It turns out, 69% would take a pay cut to keep working remotely. That’s 11% more than last year. That 69% includes 31% who would take a cut of up to 5%, 24% who would take a cut of up to 10%, 9% who would take as much as 20% less and 5% who could be willing to take a cut of more than 20%.⠀
Source: CNBC