According to a new national survey from Eagle Hill Consulting, 50 percent of U.S. workers say they prefer to work for a company that offers remote and hybrid work flexibility. In addition, half of workers (50 percent) say they would consider looking for a new job if their employer limited remote and hybrid work flexibility. This is highest among Gen Z workers (61 percent).

Only 30 percent of employees say their employer has asked them for their opinion on what flexibility they would prefer when working remotely and hybrid, while 67 percent say remote work improves company culture. Employees say their biggest concerns about working remotely are work-life balance (48 percent), commute time (41 percent), higher costs (36 percent), stress (33 percent) and their satisfaction (26 percent).

This research comes as many employers continue to increase on-site work, while others use flexible working arrangements to attract and retain employees in a continuing tight labor market.

“Employers should proceed cautiously when making changes to their remote and hybrid work policies,” said Melissa Jezior, president and CEO of Eagle Hill Consulting. “While there are benefits to working on-site, reducing the flexibility many workers crave could backfire on retention, morale and company culture. It’s important for employers to understand that while employees recognize the value of working on-site, they believe some tasks are better done remotely and they don’t want regulations.”

“One troubling finding is that the vast majority of workers say they have not been asked about their preferences regarding remote work. Assessing employee sentiment is a necessary step employers should take to make informed policy decisions. While employee preferences do not drive all business decisions, not understanding employee views is never a good approach,” Jezior said.

The nationwide survey of U.S. employees also shows that workers recognize the value of working in person. A large portion of workers (56 percent) say those who work in the office more than remotely are more likely to be successful in their jobs. Eighty-five percent of workers say team building is more successful in person, as are integrating new team members (84 percent), training and managing teams (78 percent), onboarding (74 percent), starting a new project (76 percent), getting a project back on track (74 percent), performance reviews (68 percent), meetings (65 percent), giving and receiving feedback (63 percent), brainstorming (62 percent), and IT support (54 percent).

The research also comes to the following conclusions:

• Employees say the benefits of returning to work would include better social skills (46 percent), the ability to leave work at work (35 percent), improved collaboration (33 percent) and increased productivity (32 percent).

• Employees are divided on whether employers should track their attendance to ensure compliance with company telework policies. 51 percent want their attendance to be tracked, 49 percent do not.

• 34 percent of employees are willing to give up a permanent job for more teleworking. Only 17 percent would forego salary for more teleworking.

• 71 percent of employees say someone they work with directly makes their decisions about remote work flexibility.