Tricked out office perks — often designed to keep employees at work longer — were losing their luster even before the pandemic made them irrelevant overnight.
A 2019 survey of 1,000 US office workers found that just 26% of people considered using shared space a fulfilling aspect of the workplace. Similarly, only 26% enjoyed attending internal social events and just 30% enjoyed using office amenities. What did people find fulfilling? Getting their work done.
Office workers are placing more and more value on the flexibility and personal autonomy that remote work provides far from the distractions of the office. An April 2021 FlexJobs survey with 2,100 respondents found that 65% said they want to remain full-time remote workers after the pandemic. Perhaps most worrying for employers: 58% of workers said they would search for a new job if they could not continue remote work in their current role.
Employers wondering how to keep their employees happy post-pandemic don't have to look far.