A new survey reveals that 40% of employees would like to continue working from home full time while almost half would be happy to do a mixture of both.
The survey from e-recruitment platform Jobs.ie also reveals that adjusting to new workplace Covid-19 protocols is among the biggest concern for employees as some businesses prepare to return to work in September.
Jobs.ie said its research reveals that those waiting to go back to the office are not looking forward to returning to the daily commute to the workplace (35%).
28% are concerned about adjusting to new workplace Covid protocols (28%) and using public transport (13%).
The research shows that of those with the option to continue working from home once businesses can reopen, two in five said they would like to continue working from home full time while almost half (49%) would be happy to do a mixture of both.
A further 11% want to go back to the workplace fulltime.
According to the survey findings, 59% of employees said they must return to the workplace when it reopens.
23% have the option to work from home for some of their working week and 18% can continue to work from home full time if they choose to do so.
Christopher Paye, General Manager at Jobs.ie, said that Covid-19 has made working from home the new normal for many businesses across the country - even for those who did not think it would be possible.
"Equally, for employees who may have been on the fence about it before, it has brought positive benefits such as a reduced commute time, or in some cases, the ability to work flexible hours," Mr Paye said.
Mr Paye said it is clear that there is a demand among workers for flexible schedules that allow working from home either on a full time or part time basis going forward. He said that for employers, this should be a key consideration when implementing return to work policies.
"While some sectors will inevitably require teams to return to the premises, others will find that there is room for flexibility, and where possible, employers should look to incorporate this into their HR policies to ensure that employees feel safe and secure in their return to the workplace," he added.
