Virtual Vocations has learned which remote work benefits are most valuable to current telecommuters as well as professionals considering entering the telecommuting job force. In its latest report, Virtual Vocations reveals the results of the company’s 2019 Remote Work Benefits Survey to highlight the job benefits remote workers want most from their employers.
2019 Remote Work Benefits Survey Results Overview
Survey Report Summary
In October 2019, Virtual Vocations conducted a voluntary survey of professionals interested or currently working in remote jobs. More than 4,600 survey responses were submitted for review and analysis.
The survey was released as part of the company’s National Work and Family Month celebration highlighting the personal and professional flexibility that virtual and home-based jobs can provide for working families. Through its 2019 Remote Work Benefits Survey, Virtual Vocations’ goal was to learn how working professionals view employee benefits in the remote workplace.
These survey results prove that remote workers and their on-site counterparts both value job benefits but that telecommuting professionals do not always receive the benefits they need or want.
CEO’s Statement
“Virtual Vocations conducted this survey in an effort to shine light on the benefits remote workers value most in addition to personal and professional flexibility.
With remote work becoming more commonplace, employers can use this data to determine how to keep their remote employees satisfied and to attract interest from new, qualified candidates by offering competitive benefits packages in remote work environments.”
—Laura Spawn, CEO & Co-Founder, Virtual Vocations, Inc.
Report Highlights Download of the 2019 Remote Work Benefits Survey Results
VIEW AND DOWNLOAD THE 2019 REMOTE WORK BENEFITS SURVEY RESULTS REPORT PDF
Complete 2019 Remote Work Benefits Survey Results
These are the questions and responses from the 2019 Remote Work Benefits Survey conducted by Virtual Vocations. The following survey answers detail the remote work benefits preferences of professionals currently working in or seeking virtual or home-based jobs.
Which benefits you would find the most appealing when looking for a remote job?*
*The results for top remote work benefits are listed in order of preference.
- Health Insurance
- Retirement Savings Options
- Professional Development
- Unlimited Paid Time Off
- Home Office Equipment Stipend
Would you rather work remotely full-time or have unlimited paid time off (PTO) while working on-site?
- 82.81% – Work from home full-time! If I have more balance in my work and personal life, I won’t need to take as much time off.
- 17.19% – Unlimited PTO. Knowing that I could take a three-week vacation motivates me to be more productive.
Would you rather have a job with higher pay and no benefits or a job with lower wages and more benefits?
- 54.55% – Higher pay and no benefits. I am already covered through someone else.
- 45.45% – Lower pay and better benefits. It is more important for me to have healthcare coverage right now than it is to have higher wages.
Would you rather have a few major benefits like health insurance or a retirement plan or several fringe benefits like a home office equipment stipend and a gym membership?
- 80.06% – A few major benefits. Health insurance and planning for retirement are much more important to me than any perks could ever be.
- 19.94% – Give me the perks! I have all the major benefits I need, but I would love to upgrade my laptop (or my abs!)
Would you rather make an employee contribution in order to have access to health insurance benefits or only take advantage if it was completely employer-paid?
- 65.20% – I would contribute! I need health insurance and would be happy to contribute if it means peace of mind for my healthcare needs.
- 34.80% – I would only take advantage of health insurance benefits if they were covered by the employer.
Some companies offer perks to on-site staff like stocked refrigerators, ping-pong tables, and nap rooms. Would you be interested in an equivalent perk for remote workers?*
*The results for top remote work perks are listed in order of preference; respondents were permitted to select all choices that appealed to their interests.
- Monthly Lunch & Learn webinars
- Scheduled 30-minute rest breaks
- Monthly snack box subscription
- Monthly or quarterly virtual parties/gatherings organized around holidays or casual team-building like trivia contests
- Weekly virtual “happy hour” on Friday afternoons
Would you rather work remotely 100% of the time on a fixed schedule or work a combination of remote and in-office hours, but have a completely flexible schedule?
- 58.03% – Remote full-time. I do not mind working a set schedule; the daily commute and stuffy wardrobe are what bother me.
- 41.97% – Remote part-time. I need greater flexibility for my family’s needs as well as my own.
Remote jobs do not mean less pay but, if you had to choose, would you rather earn 20% more in compensation and work in an office full-time or earn 20% less and work remotely full-time?
- 73.47% – Take my money! It is worth it to me to make less money in order to work from wherever I want every day.
- 26.53% – Show me the money! I can give up my home office and learn to love commuting again for 20% more in pay.
Would you be willing to exchange higher compensation for benefits of any kind?
Most respondents wanted “Less vacation time for more compensation.” An example given to respondents to help them make this judgment was that remote workers could receive three weeks of vacation time every year but only take two, allowing them to “sell back” a week of vacation time to their employers for an increase in salary.
For this question, the survey also provided space for respondents to describe additional scenarios in which they would be willing to exchange higher compensation for benefits of any kind or to give their opinions on the notion of exchanging or decreasing compensation amounts for job benefits like remote work arrangements.
The following statements represent some of the unique answers from respondents:
“In exchange for an annual [salary] increase, receive fully paid benefits.”
“A completely flexible work schedule that compensates me well for hitting deadlines, turning in a high quality work product regardless of the hours spent working or the time of day during which I worked.”
“Less pay for more understanding and flexibility around chronic illness.”
“I would prefer flexibility. I want to be able to work until I am finished and not get in trouble (doesn’t have to be paid) but flexibility with schedule. As long as my work goes above and beyond I make my own hours (within reason).”
“I would just rather forgo the professional development/training/conference opportunities.”
“Compensatory time off – flexible time off for all the extra time worked remotely to be used as personal time off when needed and accrued and carried over for future use. Would allow additional time to be paid or saved. Better incentive to work more and work harder.”
“I value my ability and would not be willing to take less pay for hours worked than agreed upon for any reason.”
“I would like to choose less pay for tax exclusion or employer paid taxes on things like relocation expenses.”
How satisfied are you with your current employer’s benefits package?*
*If survey participants were unemployed at the time of the survey, they were asked to answer based on how satisfied they were with benefit options provided by their most recent employers.
The majority (59.75%) of respondents declared that they are Not Satisfied or only Somewhat Satisfied with the current or most recent benefit packages offered by their employers.
About Virtual Vocations
Virtual Vocations, Inc. is the number one online job board posting telecommute-only jobs. It is a 100% virtual company with an objective to help jobseekers find high-quality telecommuting job leads safely, easily, and quickly. All jobs posted to the Virtual Vocations job board have been reviewed by a minimum of three staff members to ensure the job postings are from reputable companies in a wide range of industries.
During 2018, the Virtual Vocations team screened more than 1 million potential remote jobs, added 240,977 remote job postings to the Virtual Vocations job board, and vetted 6,192 new companies.
In addition to its job board, Virtual Vocations offers a suite of telecommute job search services including:
- Curated Telecommute Companies Database featuring profiles of companies known for hiring remote workers
- Career Services like resume reviews and rewrites, cover letter writing, and LinkedIn profile writing
- Informative blog that publishes telework statistical reports, career advice, and remote job search tips to its blog
Virtual Vocations was co-founded by Laura Spawn, CEO, and Adam Stevenson, CTO.
Contact Information for 2019 Remote Work Benefits Survey Results
Special thanks are given to Christy Williams, Virtual Vocations Contributor, for her input and work on the 2019 Remote Work Benefits Survey.
Please visit Virtual Vocations social media profiles on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube for additional remote work content and conversations.
