Of the millions of workers that transitioned to remote work during the pandemic, those in the tech sector may be some of the least likely to return to the office.
A new Morning Consult report showed that almost half of all workers in the tech sector are fully remote, and “85% [of workers] … said they either work fully remote or are following a hybrid work model.” These figures come from a recent Morning Consult survey of 750 tech workers that was conducted in April and May of 2022.
Exactly how many tech employees might consider in-person work a dealbreaker in this post-pandemic environment? Why are those in tech paving the way in implementing these new hybrid working models? Keep reading to learn more.
The Majority of Tech Workers Want to Remain Remote
According to Morning Consult, 63% of professionals in the tech sector have little or no interest in returning to the office full-time, and only 16% are “very interested” in the prospect of returning to an in-person setup.
Even before the pandemic, tech sector companies have been relatively progressive when it comes to giving employees flexibility in the workplace. Many tech companies had already implemented some form of remote or hybrid model before 2020, which may have made it easier for employees to adapt.
Though, employees’ additional experience and familiarity with these models may also make the prospect of going to an office less appealing.
The Pandemic Caused Little Change in Tech Workers’ Professional Lives
The above-mentioned survey asked respondents several questions about how the pandemic—and thus, remote work—affected their daily professional lives and their feelings about work. Perhaps unexpectedly, Morning Consult concluded that there were few changes in tech employees’ work lives.
In other words, things like satisfaction with work-life balance, burnout, sleep quality, sentiments towards employers, etc., changed very little between pre-pandemic times and the present day.
Final Words
The majority of tech workers don’t want to return to the office full-time, and that’s not surprising considering the responses collected by Morning Consult. The sharp transition to fully remote or hybrid models was softened by the tech sector’s pre-pandemic workplace flexibility. Additionally, employee sentiments regarding some of the most critical aspects of work haven’t worsened in the past several years.
Perhaps this suggests that other sectors could benefit from implementing fully or partially remote models going forward. It may be difficult for many industries to imagine a remote setup, but if the past two and a half years have shown us anything, it’s that positive change is possible even when it seems improbable.
