Survey Finds Most Remote Workers Are Looking Forward To Returning To Office

After more than a year of many people working from home instead of the office, a new Harvard Business School Online survey finds a majority of those employees are looking forward to going back to the office, at least part time.

A survey of nearly 1,500 professionals who have worked remotely since March 2020 found 61% hope to work two or three days a week in person in the future; 18% say they want to go back full time; 27% do not want to return to the office at all.

"Those who were married or had children actually showed a higher propensity to want to go back to work face-to-face," said Patrick Mullane, executive director of HBS Online. "So while we love our spouses and our children, a little time away from each other is probably not a bad thing."

The survey also found one-third of people felt their overall performance and quality of work was better than the year prior. The same number said they were able to better focus on their work from home.

“The past year has been difficult for everyone but what’s surprising is how well people feel they’ve performed at work, while at home," Mullane said.