The COVID-19 pandemic triggered a new era of doing business. As workplaces tried to avoid spreading the virus, employees were sent home to work remotely. The success of this new work model brought with it an improvement in work-life balance, something employees are reluctant to give up despite business returning to normal. 

According to a recent survey from CNBC, 65 percent of workers have returned to the in-office model while 14 percent are working mostly in person. Another 9 percent are working mostly remotely, while 11 percent are working entirely remotely. 

It is these hold-outs that are forcing workplaces to redefine their workplace structure as employees push for fully remote or hybrid work models. 

It appears as if workers prefer a hybrid model which allows them to work in the office part-time and remotely the rest of the time. 

Companies like Apple, Spotify, Microsoft, and Shopify are now offering a hybrid option for their employees. While other companies such as Google are increasing employee incentives to return to work such as concerts and wine tastings. 

Despite being allowed to work fully remotely, some workers are not finding the job satisfaction they expected with 68 percent of in-person workers finding satisfaction in their job, while only 60 percent of remote and most workers found satisfaction in their job. 

Working from home has also appeared to change the mindset of employees who are putting their autonomy and self-happiness ahead of their employers. According to the survey, only 14 percent of workers said, “having control over how you do your job” was the most important factor in happiness at work, while 27 percent of those who worked from home felt this was a deciding factor in workplace happiness. 

The survey also found that employees who work from home did not feel swayed to have their colleagues “value their work” and they were less driven toward “having opportunities to advance.” 

This is making it difficult for employers to find the right incentives to get people back into the office, however, those who work in-office believe that there should be some reward for showing up. 

Approximately 52 percent of in-person workers feel they have better career opportunities than those who work from home. Overall, the survey found that workers do better when given the chance to decide what works best for them, whether it be work-life balance or climbing the corporate ladder, and that employers who address these concerns benefit in the long run.