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July 19, 2023 - 11:31 AM
One in five British Columbians who worked from home during the pandemic quit their jobs when asked to return to the office.
That's according to a Research Co. survey released today, July 19, which found more than half of those who worked at home during the COVID pandemic are likely to look for another job to avoid commuting to the office more often than they'd like.
It found young people aged 18 to 34 were more likely to find a new job due to their work-from-home preferences than people who are older.
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“Few British Columbians aged 35 to 54 and aged 55 and over have quit after a disagreement over work-from-home regulations (9% and 2% respectively),” Research Co. president Mario Canseco said in a news release. “In stark contrast, 39% of pandemic home workers aged 18 to 34 have switched jobs at least once since 2020 to be able to work from home more often.”
While young workers were most likely to leave a job to work from home more often, people in the Southern Interior were the least likely to leave a job to get more time in a home office. Only 8% of respondents said they left a job to get more home office time, compared to 19% across the province.
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Of the 492 respondents who worked from home during the pandemic, 17% have returned to the office full time. Results are split among others, with 32% still at home fives days a week and 51% on a hybrid schedule, according to the survey.
Fewer than 14% would like to be in the office more often, 63% are happy with their arrangement and nearly a quarter would like to be at home more often.
In the Southern Interior, no one said they would like to be in the office more often, and 54% said they were happy with their arrangements.
Most full-time home workers are in Metro Vancouver with 36%, while the Southern Interior has the lowest rate at 23%.
The survey was conducted earlier this month, polling 492 people who worked from home during the COVID-19 pandemic and 1,000 British Columbians in total.
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