Despite the end of mask and vaccine mandates for indoor businesses in many states and cities around the country, many employees still prefer to work from home, according to a Pew Research Center study released Wednesday.

The study, which surveyed 5,889 people, reported many employees still prefer a work from home options, with 53% of people saying that they can do their jobs working from home all the time, or sometimes, while an additional 83% of these workers say they were working from home even before the omicron variant surged across the United States.

These rates are much higher than the 23% of people who said that they worked remotely before the coronavirus outbreak. Of those who are working from home and have an option to go to work in an office, 61% of them said they are choosing not to go. Only 38% said they work from home because their workplace is closed or unavailable.

Earlier in the pandemic, 64% of respondents said they were working from home because their office was closed, while 36% said that the choice to work from home was just that, a choice. The more recent study shows the ever-evolving pandemic has driven people’s desire to work from home.

However, in October 2020, 71% of those who were working said that their work could get done from home “all or most of the time,” a difference from the most recent respondents (53%) reporting that their jobs can be doable from home.

Still, many more prefer working from home (76%) now compared to 60% in 2020. Prior to Covid-19's rise to pandemic status, 57% of respondents reported that they rarely or never worked from home.

Now, more people have adjusted the concept, which likely contributes to the new numbers. After a period of adjustment, 64% of those who never worked remotely said that it is easy for them now to balance work and personal life while working remotely. Of those currently working from home, 78% said they want to continue doing so after ‌the pandemic, which is up from 64% in 2020.

Impressively, 72% of respondents said that working from home has not affected their ability to advance in their jobs. Sixty percent of workers said that when the Covid-19 pandemic is over, they will choose to work from home if their employer gives them a choice. Only 54% of respondents felt that way in 2020.

Only 42% of respondents said that they were working from home because of concerns about the coronavirus compared to 57% in 2020. Some say the reason they telecommute is that they moved away from the location of their job.

According to a survey ‌by OperationInc of about 1,000 people, around half of parents (51%) want to work remotely compared to non-parents (28%). The survey also revealed that “the great resignation” shows no signs of slowing down, with hybrid workers the most likely to be job searching (64%)

“Employees in 2022 want control over their work arrangements, robust training opportunities, and supportive communication from leadership," said CEO David Lewis. “. . . [survey results show] employees who don't find these at their current job are willing to walk away and find new employers."

The Pew Research study also shows that if offices open, one in five workers say they would be comfortable returning to their workplaces. However, only 22% say that their employer has required employees to get COVID vaccines if they are not working only from home.

After the Supreme Court ruling against vaccine mandates for businesses with over 100 employees, 77% of respondents say their employer has not required vaccination and 47% say their employer has encouraged vaccination but not mandated it.

Three out of ten employees believe ‌employers should require vaccines, but 69% say employers should not, and 39% say that vaccines should be encouraged but not mandated.

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