Although many office-using workers are back on the job site, they’re often there reluctantly, OfficeSpace Software says. A new survey, commissioned by OfficeSpace and conducted online by The Harris Poll, revealed a majority of Americans (54%) who work in an office setting have returned to an office environment full time, yet half who regularly went to the office prior to the pandemic (51%) don’t want to go there five days a week. 

Forty-eight percent of employed Americans who work in an office setting, and whose employer changed their working environment due to COVID-19, said their employer expects them to return to the office full time. Twenty-seven percent said their employer currently requires them to return to the office for part of the week and they can choose where they work for the rest of the time. 

On the subject of how workers would like their employer to handle the return to the office, responses were a mixed bag, says OfficeSpace. 

Slightly less than one in five employed Americans who work in an office setting (17%) would like their employer to allow employees to decide where they work (i.e. in office, hybrid or fully remote), while 13% would like their employer to require employees to spend most of their time working remotely. Perhaps surprisingly, 41% would like their employer to expect employees to return to the office full time, with the office looking/operating like it did pre-pandemic with minimal changes. 

However, the consensus is stronger among those currently working from home due to COVID-19 on what they want if they’re expected to return to the office. Seventy-one percent strongly or somewhat agree that employers should require proof of vaccination, and 70% strongly or somewhat agree that employers should provide incentives for vaccinated employees. A comparable percentage think there should be a mandatory mask policy, regardless of vaccination status. 

All in all, said OfficeSpace CEO David Cocchiara, “We’re not surprised by the results. In talking with countless customers, each is faced with a unique set of challenges and employee needs in creating a safe hybrid workplace model.” 

He continued, “Organizations continue to be challenged to strike the right balance in what the business needs and what their employees want. There is no single approach that works for every organization. The return will vary by company, industry, employee comfort level and geography, and organizations need options to safely bring their employees back into the workplace while providing maximum flexibility in how they organize their offices.”