Just under half (45%) of employees would be interested in taking a pay cut to continue working remotely long-term, according to research by Owl Labs.
Its study of 2,000 UK employees found that 15% of staff would take a pay cut of 5% to continue working remotely, however, just under half of respondents (46%) would leave if their organisation chose to reduce their pay as a cost-cutting measure. A further 41% of staff would consider resigning if they were forced to return to the office.
More than three-quarters (84%) of respondents will continue to work remotely for the rest of 2020, with 44% of employees planning to work from home five days a week and 55% planning to work a hybrid of home and office working with up to four days being office-based.
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Further findings revealed that if their employer made changes to their salary based on new working costs, more than half (51%) of respondents would begin looking for new jobs, with 8% claiming they would leave the organisation even if they did not have another job to go to.
Just under three-quarters of employees (74%) believe that their organisation should pay for work equipment such as printers and screens, while 50% expect their employer to provide desks and work chairs. A further half (50%) feel that their employer should contribute to wifi and phone bills, while 48% of employees believe their employer should pay for their electricity bills.
Additionally, almost two-quarters (62%) of employees believe that they should receive free Covid-19 (Coronavirus) tests from their employer, with 65% believing that personal protective equipment (PPE) should also be given as a standard requirement.
While working remotely, 61% of staff feel concerned that their employer has invested in remote activity devices and productivity monitoring tools, over a third (36%) would resign if this was the case. A further 72% of employees are concerned about video tracking, with 61% fearing tracking apps and 60% worried about keyboard tracking apps. Additionally, over half (52%) are worried about their employer monitoring the time that they spend on apps or websites.
Frank Weishaupt, chief executive at Owl Labs, said: “Maintaining effective communication, regardless of location, is more crucial than ever today. As offices continue to work remotely and the adoption of hybrid working increases, there is a growing demand for products and services that help productivity and allow blended teams to communicate effectively and stay as close-knit as they were before the pandemic.”