LAST UPDATE: OCT. 13, 2021
Tracking the Return to Normal: Work & Offices
This tracker is part of a series from Morning Consult gauging when consumers will return to normal activities in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Learn more and sign up for alerts.
The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the traditional U.S. office model, forcing companies to rethink their policies on remote work as they consider the benefits and drawbacks, and creating challenges for nearly every type of workplace. To help employers navigate this new reality, Morning Consult is closely tracking employees’ perceptions about working remotely, their comfort levels in returning to the office and traveling for work, and future considerations about company policies on remote work. The primary demographic group tracked on this page are “current remote workers,” which refers to U.S. adults who usually work from an office but are working remotely due to the pandemic.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
6 in 10 remote workers feel comfortable returning to the office: After reaching 73% in mid-July, the share of workers who would feel comfortable returning to the office now stands at 60%. Thirty-seven percent still feel uncomfortable returning at this time.
Only 64% of remote workers would like to return to the office as soon as it is safe: 62% of current remote workers want all their coworkers to be vaccinated before they return, and over half would consider quitting if their employer tried to get them to return before they felt safe.
A majority of workers enjoy remote work: 83% of current remote workers enjoy working remotely. Furthermore, 76% of remote workers reported that they are more productive, and a similar share would be more likely to apply for a job that offers a remote work option.
More than 4 in 10 Americans feel comfortable with domestic travel for work: 42% would feel comfortable with domestic travel for work, and 27% would feel comfortable traveling internationally for work. Additionally, 40% of Americans would feel comfortable going to an office party.
TRACKING THE RETURN TO NORMAL
When will things return to normal and what will our new normal look like? It’s a question that business, economic and government leaders are grappling with as more and more Americans receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
To help answer this complicated question, Morning Consult is tracking how consumer attitudes are shifting across a wide range of categories, from travel to entertainment to dining, to gain greater insight into not only when consumers will be ready to return to their normal activities, but how their habits will be forever changed. We’ll be updating these pages every week with new data and analyses. Sign up for alerts below.