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A new survey of 1,500 remote workers in the United Sates reveals a snapshot of the current return-to-office (RTO) landscape. Nearly one-quarter of fully remote workers (23%) say they wouldn't return to the office no matter how big of a raise they were offered. Those who would consider returning would demand at least a 20 percent pay increase to make the switch.
JobLeads, a leading jobs platform, analyzed responses from four LinkedIn surveys conducted globally between November 2025 and February 2026. The surveys collected a total of 7,705 responses from professionals across multiple industries and geographic regions. Each survey focused on a specific aspect of remote work preferences, with sample sizes ranging from approximately 1,500 to 2,900 respondents per survey. And the results, compiled in the "Remote Work Benefits for Employees & Employers [2026]" report, illustrate just how non-negotiable remote work has become.
According to one of the surveys, 37 percent of 1,505 respondents would rather give up social media entirely than return to the office full time, and 20 percent would give up coffee. But only 6 percent would sacrifice vacation time.
Another survey, which received nearly 3,000 responses, indicated that 59 percent of workers believe a better work-life balance is the single biggest benefit of remote work, while yet another survey showed that 74 percent would choose a remote job over an on-site one even if it paid less.
Remote workers also save between $2,000 and $6,500 per year and gain 62 and 90 minutes, on average, every day by eliminating their commute, according to the report. That's roughly equivalent to a gain of 10 to 15 extra days per year.
All of these findings suggest that employers might be eliminating potential high-quality candidates by instituting strict no-work-from-home policies. According to a previous JobLeads study of more than 5 million U.S. job postings, more than 87 percent of all open roles are fully in-office, while only 6 percent are fully remote.
The documented benefits of working from home "demonstrate why remote work has evolved from a temporary pandemic response to a permanent transformation in how we approach professional life," the report concludes. "When implemented thoughtfully, remote work creates a win-win dynamic. The employee gains autonomy and flexibility, while employers benefit from motivated teams and cost efficiency."
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From: BenefitsPRO
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