Is RTO an employee perk or necessary retention strategy? The question has led to an endless debate among bosses in corporate America, but employees have never been more clear.
About 63% of workers would take a pay cut for the option to work remotely more often, according to a new report from Cisco, which surveyed 21,513 employees and employers across 21 markets globally to get a sense of where they stand on the future of work. Not only would employees sacrifice pay for flexibility—65% of workers have considered looking for a different job that offers better hybrid options.
The one-size fits nature of RTO policies is the crux of the problem, Francine Katsoudas, chief people, purpose, and policy officer at Cisco, tells Fortune. “The tension point here is that a lot of the return to office policies can’t take into consideration the individual needs [of the employee],” she says.
Unsurprisingly, workers whose employers provide a fully flexible work policy are most satisfied with their work arrangements, with 74% of them indicating approval of the policies. But a close second are workers whose hybrid model includes a mandated set number of days in the office (i.e. three days a week), with 71% of this group of workers feeling positively.
Flexible work is becoming particularly urgent for workplaces as more and more people enter the “sandwich generation,” says Katsoudas, in which they’re tasked with providing care for their young children and aging parents. These employees often have to balance responsibilities like doctors appointments and school pickups.
“Flexibility doesn’t mean that everyone is working remotely,” she adds. “It just means that there’s an ability to take into consideration the needs of every individual.”