Bosses want remote work more than workers – U.S. survey

CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES — A surprising new survey of 3,000 American employees and managers by software company Checkr finds that bosses actually want to continue remote and hybrid work arrangements more than their employees. 

Workplace Disconnect: A Survey of Manager vs. Employee Perspectives found that 68% of managers would like remote work options to persist in 2024, while only 48% of employees agreed.

The results challenge the common narrative that upper management pushes harder for return-to-office mandates while employees resist losing flexibility. 

In fact, the data indicates substantial alignment between both groups preferring flexibility, with over half (52%) of managers favoring a four-day work week over a pay raise.

The discrepancy may be because middle managers tasked with implementing return-to-office policies feel caught in the tension between senior leadership preferences and employee desires. 

Many Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) foresee a full return to office by 2026, according to a KPMG survey, but Scoop Technologies predicts that executives will admit RTO mandates have failed to improve productivity. 

Eighty percent of Checkr’s survey respondents agreed it’s easier to monitor employees in the office. So despite their own wishes, monitoring worker productivity may still be prioritized by management.