Employees love working from home. Except when they don't.

Despite the shift toward a more flexible workplace, Randstad US survey finds 62 percent of U.S. employees prefer going to the office.

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Randstad US

Apr 26, 2018, 09:00 ET

ATLANTA, April 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

Randstad US today released results from its quarterly Randstad Workmonitor survey (Q1 2018). According to the data, although 82 percent of U.S. workers surveyed say the ability to work from anywhere at any time allows them to maintain a healthy work-life balance, more than half (62%) still prefer to work in the office — and this number is even higher among young workers. Sixty-five percent of those aged 18-24 said they prefer working in a traditional office environment, challenging the widespread perception that millennial and Gen Z workers tend to prefer digital interactions over personal ones.

The flexible workplace disconnect.
Although flexible and remote work arrangements are a top priority for employees, that's not necessarily the case for employers, who often don't offer any or provide enough tools to fully support them:

Sixty-six percent of workers say they like the option of occasionally working from home or another location, but aren't able to do so.
Thirty-six percent of respondents report their workplaces support working from home any time and anywhere they want.
A third (35%) of employees disagree that their employers provide the necessary technical equipment to enable them to work from home.
Thirty percent of workers say they regularly have online or virtual team meetings via video conferencing.

Remote work arrangements drive engagement.
Working from home or another location is an attractive option to employees:

Sixty-six percent of workers say they prefer to occasionally work from home or another location.
Eighty percent of workers say they like agile work (defined in the study as the ability to work from anywhere, anytime) because it increases their productivity, creativity and job satisfaction.
More than half of all respondents (61%) don't believe this type of work interferes with their personal lives, or their ability to disconnect from work.

"The takeaway for employers: workers appreciate having the option to work when and where they want, but also value interacting with colleagues face-to-face in the workplace," said Jim Link, CHRO, Randstad North America. "Employers who strike the right balance — making flexible work arrangements as accessible as possible through technology while also cultivating a thriving office culture — will succeed in attracting and retaining top talent."

To learn more about flexible work arrangements — and the positive impact they can have on your business — please visit 3 reasons to rethink remote work options.

About the Workmonitor Survey
Originally launched in the Netherlands in 2003, The Randstad Workmonitor survey has grown to encompass over 30 countries spread out across Europe, Asia Pacific and the Americas. Published four times a year, the survey aims to heighten visibility of both local and global trends in mobility.

The Workmonitor's Mobility Index, which tracks employee confidence and captures how likely an employee is to change jobs within the next six months, provides a comprehensive understanding of sentiments and trends in the job market. Besides mobility, the survey addresses employee satisfaction and personal motivation as well as a rotating set of themed questions. The study is conducted online among employees aged 18-65, working a minimum of 24 hours a week in a paid job (not self-employed). The minimum sample size is 400 interviews per country. The Survey Sampling International (SSI) panel is used for sampling purposes. The first survey of 2018 was conducted between January 10-26.

About Randstad
Randstad North America, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Randstad Holding nv, a €23.3 billion global provider of flexible work and human resources services. As a trusted human partner in the technology-driven world of talent, we combine the expertise and passion of our employees, with some of the most innovative HR technologies on the market today, to advance the careers and business success of our candidates and clients.

Randstad's North American operations comprise 5,700+ associates and a deployed workforce of more than 100,000 in the U.S. and Canada. In addition to staffing and recruitment, Randstad offers outsourcing, consulting and workforce management solutions for generalist and specialist disciplines, including technology, engineering, finance and accounting, clinical and non-clinical healthcare, human resources, legal, life sciences, manufacturing and logistics, office and administration and sales and marketing. Global concepts available to North American client companies include RPO, MSP, integrated talent solutions, payrolling and independent contractor management and career transition services. Learn more at www.randstadusa.com or www.randstad.ca.

SOURCE Randstad US