Asserting that productivity remained high during the work-from-home days of the COVID-19 pandemic, more than 4-in-10 (43%) U.S. workers are questioning the need to return to a physical onsite workplace, according to the findings of a new nationwide survey.

The findings from The Conference Board, a nonprofit nonpartisan think tank, come as the same study showed that only 14% of companies plan to offer a five-days per week “fully remote” structure to employees in the months ahead.

Nonetheless, that’s certainly not a problem for everyone. Nearly 40% of respondents said they’re very comfortable or even want to return to the office, compared to only 17% who said the same in September 2020.

The survey reveals “a notable shift in employees’ greatest return-to-work concerns,” The Conference Board shared. “Once dominant fears of contracting COVID-19 or exposing family members to it now lag behind anxieties about returning at all, dropping by nearly half in the last nine months. Moreover, a clear divide among workers emerged, with lower-level employees, women and millennials questioning the need to return to the office at higher rates than their counterparts, despite expressing more concern about mental health.”

Tremendous piece from @TheresaHegel, who echoes the sentiment of everyone who prefers #WFH now that we've done it successfully for over a year.https://t.co/ouNp0KTSAb

— John Corrigan (@JCorr_ASI) June 16, 2021

The results speak to the delicate balancing act companies have to navigate when it comes to getting workplace models right in the wake of COVID shutdowns that have had many employees across industries working remotely for going on 16 months – and as employers face challenges in attracting and retaining workers in a fast-recovering economy in which there are more jobs available than people interested in filling them.

While only 12% of workers in the survey said they’d returned to an onsite workplace as of June 2021, some 43% said they would likely be doing so, in some capacity, within the next three months.

The survey found that, on average, respondents believe that more than half of their organization’s full-time employees will work in a hybrid environment, with almost 40% working remotely two to three days each week. Another 30% of workers will be in the office five days per week, on average, while 13% will be remote one day per week.

“While there are many difficulties surrounding a move to a hybrid work arrangement, most workers want the flexibility to choose what’s right for them,” said Amy Lui Abel, PhD, Vice President, Human Capital Research at The Conference Board. “For companies, the challenge in getting this right will entail policies that are inclusive, technologies that can support the movement of workers, and leaders that can guide and manage a different workforce model.”

According to a recent survey, nearly 60% of people currently working from home would quit their job if their employer required them to return to the office. What would you do if you were required back in the office full time?

— ASICentral (@asicentral) June 16, 2021

A recent Twitter poll from ASI Media, unrelated to The Conference Board study, examined attitudes about work-from-home and return-to-the-office.

According to The Conference Board survey, more than one third of U.S. workers (37%) believe their level of engagement with their work has increased as compared to before the pandemic. Nearly half said their engagement level has remained the same. Meanwhile, 15% confessed their engagement levels have decreased.

Conducted between May 28 and June 4, The Conference Board survey took responses from more than 3,600 U.S. workers, which represented a cross-section of people across industries. ASI Media has covered the topic of post-pandemic workplace models in the promotional products industry, something you read more about here and here.