Employees in New Jersey said they would take a pay cut each month to avoid going back to the office, according to a new study by RealBusinessSavings.com, a provider of money-saving and making resources.
The survey of 3,500 American employees evaluated attitudes toward working environments, given the current COVID-19 pandemic and related lockdown orders.
Overall, the survey found the average American employee would sacrifice $315 of their paycheck each month to continue working from home. Locally, New Jersey employees would take a cut of $327, slightly more than the national average. When comparing all 50 states, California workers seem most into the idea, forfeiting $495 a week.
Of those who work from home, 57% said they will request to continue to do so when government mandated orders are lifted. It’s likely employers will grant these requests, the survey found, given that 60% of employees said they’ve been more productive at home compared to their usual workplace.
Due to social distancing guidelines changing the way people interact, 75% of employees say they don’t believe handshakes will ever return back to office culture and should be replaced with an elbow tap (60%), simple nod greeting (28%), foot tap (5%) or bow (2%).
There are many reasons why people prefer working from home, the survey found. Some of the top favorite reasons include saving money on transport (30%), not having to commute (28%), saving money on lunch/afterwork drinks (22%), avoiding office politics (12%) and not having to wear business attire (8%).
Nearly one in three workers say since working from home started, their bosses have had more relaxed attitudes and have been more friendly.
