Responses show both employers and employees might be unclear about what makes a remote role attractive. None of the benefits on our survey garnered a majority of responses, but employees and employers were aligned on some top needs such as schedule flexibility and reimbursement for supplies.
- Flexible hours: Given that work-life balance is a top priority for both employees and employers, it makes sense that this benefit rises to the top for both, as well: 34% of employees and 40% of employers named flexible hours a top benefit for remote workers.
- Work-provided equipment: 26% of employees and 34% of employers named this a top remote-work benefit. The majority of employees might be more content to use their personal devices for work, while employers might find it more important to provide employees with equipment that meets the company’s needs and offers the employer some amount of control to lock the device or monitor activity.
- Home office stipend: Just 17% of employees and 20% of employers named this a top remote-work benefit, but it ranked third for employees and fifth for employers, showing how scattered priorities are for remote-work benefits.
Where Employers and Employees Are Misaligned on Remote-Work Benefits
Employers significantly misjudged the importance of virtual team-bonding activities for employees; 31% of employers named this a top remote-work benefit, while just 11% of employees said the same. Notably, it made it into the top five for both groups.
Another top-five benefit for employees, though only 6% of this group named it, is internet assistance. This perk didn’t break into employers’ top five at all. But this is worth taking note of because reliable internet service is vital to a remote worker’s ability to do their job, and employees may need to opt for more expensive internet service or hotspot backups to stay connected for work.
Remote-work perks that were more popular among employers than employees also included:
- Four-day workweek
- Child care assistance
- Fitness perks
- Finance resource planning
Some of these perks have gotten a lot of attention in the media in recent years, but it’s important to note what employees are actually asking for and not be distracted by what’s making the most noise.
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