Up to 41% of staffers will work from home after COVID-19 [report]

With the music and media industry officially at-home for the foreseeable future, many workers are hoping for more flexibility from their employers after COVID-19.

The good news is that research from global advisory firm Gartner suggests more workplace flexibility could actually become the new normal after pandemic-related restrictions are lifted.

In a survey, Gartner asked 229 HR leaders about the ins and outs of remote work.

Gartner found that nearly 50% of organisations now have 81% or more of their employees working remotely as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Another 15% said 61-80% of their workforce are working remotely.

And while this was a change brought on by an unprecedented scenario, the research also suggests many workers are now reconsidering how they work.

“While 30% of employees surveyed worked remotely at least part of the time before the pandemic, Gartner analysis reveals that post-pandemic, 41% of employees are likely to work remotely at least some of the time,” said Gartner's chief of HR research, Brian Kropp.

“Ultimately, the COVID-19 pandemic has many employees planning to work in a way that they hadn’t previously considered.”

Workers have found they are highly productive while working remotely, the report found.

However, there is also a higher turnover risk that comes with remote work.

A past study found of more than 5,000 employees found that 48% of fully remote employees exhibit high discretionary effort, versus 35% of employees who never work remotely.

The same survey revealed that the percentage of employees exhibiting high intent to stay with their current employer is 13 points higher among those who never work remotely.