Introverted Workers Say WFH Was Good for Productivity, Want to Stay There
But even extroverts don't want to go back to the office full time.
Odds are you are reading this from your home office or from your couch with your tablet in hand. That’s because new data from Poly, an audio/video technology company, shows that 63% of employees are still resisting returning to an office.
The company surveyed 5,000 U.S. employees and found that a strong majority (72%) of employees agree that their employers can do a better job to create a uniform experience between people who work at home and those that are returning to the office.
“Our research indicates that hybrid work is here to stay,” said Dave Shull President and CEO, Poly. “Organizations will need to adapt and upgrade their office gear, to include video-enabled meeting rooms with technology that’s as easy to use as the devices we have all come to know and love while working from home.”
Other findings show:
- The majority (65%) of employers are pushing for a return to the office despite the benefits workers cite in remote and hybrid working 71% agree that working from home suits their personality type better, and the same percentage agree that working from home has positively impacted their performance
- 41% of workers say their work equipment is better at home than in the office (35%)
- Despite these benefits, over half (57%) of workers agree they have felt pressure from their manager or company to return to the office
Those wanting to return to the office also depends on worker personality traits, the study finds. For example, employees who consider themselves more introverted are almost twice as likely to say hybrid or remote work is better suited to them (48% vs. 25%) compared to working in the office.
Introverted workers also feel their productivity has increased since the pandemic (64%), compared to extroverted workers (51%). This can be attributed to a better work-life balance (38%), and remote work increasing their confidence (35%).
Those employees who consider themselves more extroverted are also more likely to say hybrid or remote work is better suited to them than working full time in the office (41% vs. 30%).