Majority also want extra pay for RTW: Survey

BY Dexter Tilo for HR Director magazine

A majority of employees in the United States want employers to cover their commute expenses if they are expected to return to the office, according to a new survey.

Ringover’s survey of 1,038 employees revealed that 96.3% are willing to compromise if provided with benefits that would make the return to work (RTW) more pleasant.

The most sought-after benefit among these employees is a paid commute, according to 83.2% of respondents.

The daily commute is one of remote employees’ “most obvious” challenges when returning to the office, said Ringover, noting that longer commutes can disrupt work-life balance and lead to burnout.

Additional pay requested for office return

In addition to perks, employees in the United States also said they would comply with an office-return policy if this meant getting a higher salary.

According to the Ringover survey, nearly half of employees want to be paid an extra $5,000 to $10,000 annually for returning to the office.

The findings come as 29% of employees reported receiving mandatory office-return instructions, while another 38% said they were “heavily encouraged.”

Only 17% of the respondents haven’t received an office-return mandate, while 14% said their related policy was optional.