A majority of Americans currently working remotely said they would consider quitting their jobs if their employer required them to return to the office, according to a new survey. The poll by Morning Consult found that 55% of teleworkers said they would think about leaving their jobs if they were told to physically return to their cubicles before they felt safe. An even larger percentage of workers — 61% — said they would only be willing to return to the office if all of their colleagues were vaccinated. Corporate America has indefinitely delayed bringing employees back into offices in light of a record number of COVID-19 cases fueled by the Omicron variant. Nearly seven in 10 workers said they trust their employer to make the right decision about when the office can return to work while some 55% said they would like to return to the office as soon as it’s safe to do so. The Morning Consult weekly survey was filled out by an average of 400 adults who normally work from an office but are currently working from home. Those polled expressed overwhelming approval of working from home, with a whopping 85% saying they enjoyed being remote, though slightly fewer of them — 77% — said they were more productive when not in the office. Eight out of 10 teleworkers said they would be more likely to apply for a job that gives them the option of remaining remote, according to the survey. American teleworkers were by and large unenthusiastic about doing anything work-related that involved getting out of their homes. Just 40% of those working remotely said they would feel comfortable traveling domestically for work while even fewer of them — 23% — said they would be comfortable traveling abroad. Only one out of three teleworkers said they would feel comfortable going to an office party or work-related gathering while 37% said they would feel comfortable going to a work conference. New York City appears to be sympathetic to those saying they would only return if their co-workers were vaccinated. Just before leaving office, former Mayor Bill de Blasio instituted a vaccine mandate for all private-sector businesses in the city. Eric Adams, de Blasio’s successor, has indicated that he will keep the mandate in place. The most recent survey done by the Partnership for New York City in November, before the surge in Omicron cases, found that 28% of Manhattan-based office workers returned to their work spaces on an average weekday. Just 8% of Manhattan’s 1 million office workers returned to the office full-time — or five days a week. More than half — 54% — were fully remote as of November. While most workers may enjoy working from home, the loss of foot traffic has had devastating effects on small businesses that rely on commuters to patronize their shops.
