Remote work is here to stay, and a significant number of finance professionals might not stay put if their company requires them to return to the office, a recent survey found.
Fintech company Spendesk and market research firm YouGov created the survey report Future of Finance Work, asking more than 1,000 finance professionals in the UK, France, and Germany about their views on current work conditions.
Thirty-two per cent of UK respondents said they would leave their job if forced to return to the office full time. Across all regions surveyed, 47% in the 35–44 age bracket said they would quit over a mandatory return.
While every organisation’s situation is different, those numbers should sound a warning for business leaders struggling to retain and replace talent. Collectively, the survey respondents also shared some other not-so-surprising opinions about how their employers could keep them happy:
- More than three-fourths (78%) said they would like the option of a four-day workweek.
- Nearly 80% believe their salaries should be raised to match recent cost-of-living increases.
Nearly two-thirds (63%) of UK respondents said they’re satisfied with the remote work opportunities offered by their organisation. Seventy per cent of all respondents report no communication issues impeding remote work, although 35% miss personal exchanges with colleagues and 33% said there are times that a lack of digitalisation causes issues.
Forty per cent of UK-based respondents (and 37% overall) said they worry that colleagues who work in the office are treated more favourably than remote workers — a call for employers to make clear how they view remote versus in-office employees.
— To comment on this article or to suggest an idea for another article, contact Bryan Strickland at Bryan.Strickland@aicpa-cima.com.
