UK employees would take a £2,665 pay cut to avoid going back to the office

Saving money on the daily commute, no need to worry about what to wear and no office politics to deal with… are just a handful of benefits to working from home. And many don’t want to give it up now.

Insolvency Support, provider of business support, tips and resources, conducted a survey of 3,000 employees to evaluate attitudes toward altered working environments, given the current circumstances. Overall, it was found that the average employee would take a £2,665.62 pay cut per year in order to continue working from home when the pandemic ends (£222 per month).

Additionally, it was found that over a third of employees (36%) say they will be requesting to continue working from home, even after it is declared safe to return to their usual place of work. It could be likely that many employers will grant these requests given that 44% of employees also say they have actually been more productive working from home compared to their usual place of work.

Due to social distancing practices, it seems the days of high-fives and handshakes with co-workers are over. In fact, 59% of respondents do not think handshakes will ever return to the work environment. 65% of respondents say the elbow tap should take over. This was followed by the simple nod greeting (28%), foot tap (5%) and bow (2%).

59% of employees say no daily commute is the best thing about working from home, followed by saving money on transport (16%). An additional 14% say the best part is not having to wear business attire, 5% saving money on lunch/afterwork drinks, and 5% being relieved at having no office politics.

Meanwhile, almost two in three workers say that since they started working from home, their bosses have had a more friendly and relaxed attitude towards them.