AnyDesk’s Remote Work Report: Nearly 60% would quit if forced back to the office full time

June 14, 2022

The first survey since returning to the office became a real possibility found a significant increase in support for the critical nature of remote work. The survey included a representative group of 800+ respondents tackling various aspects of the remote work experience.

Clearwater/Florida, June 7th, 2022 – AnyDesk, the leading remote desktop solution which surpassed 500M downloads during the pandemic, has released a report examining the state of remote work in 2022. The report is based on a survey conducted over the course of April 2022, involving 800+ remote working participants from Germany and the United States, with responses the latter (US) quoted in this report. Our research suggests that the pandemic was an incubator for flexible working models, and that employees not only prefer the remote and hybrid working model, they thrive in it.

 As the pandemic becomes endemic, the business industry is debating its future: will we return to the office, or is remote working here to stay? AnyDesk’s findings reveal that remote working has become indispensable to employees, with 59% of respondents likely to quit if their employer stopped offering remote or hybrid work. The report findings are significant in understanding the digital employee experience.

The report includes insights such as:

68% of employees who responded they were ‘very likely’ to quit if they were no longer allowed to work hybrid or remotely identify as female, highlighting the especially large hurdles of in-office work for women.
Only 10% of survey respondents reported working fewer hours while working remotely than in-office, while 34% worked significantly more (2+ hours). The idea of the “lazy” remote worker is a myth.
An astonishing 94% of respondents feel their employers trust them the same or more when they work remotely. A seemingly counterintuitive finding, it points to either online communication being effective, or employees seeing the hard work and productivity gains that remote work fosters.
Half of the survey respondents who worked remotely/hybrid reported using Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), giving direct access to potential threats while also posing a connectivity risk.
29% of respondents reported a lack of clear compliance and security guidelines within their companies. Such a lack of clarity could lead to costly fines or data breaches.
Almost 50% of respondents feel a more stable or faster internet connection would improve their remote working experience. The clear demand for fast, stable internet, a requirement for remote work runs counter to the significant VPN usage noted, which tends to slow down networks. Remote desktop software should be considered, as it enables a more stable connection and speed, especially in challenging environments.
Currently, only 19% of respondents connect using remote desktop software, which enhances security while providing superior connectivity.

“Remote and hybrid work is set to continue making a tremendous positive impact when it comes to productivity, flexibility, and higher employee satisfaction and that’s something this report resoundingly reaffirms. However, it also comes with security and compliance concerns that must be addressed,” says Philipp Weiser, CEO of AnyDesk. “Our research on the digital employee experience provides a comprehensive overview that informs businesses by uncovering actionable insights directly from remote and hybrid workers themselves and provides suggestions on how to move forward.”

“Everyone knows that remote and hybrid work is a ‘must’ for many, but the fact that 70% of those who were likely to quit were women is truly astounding and sheds light on the value of delving into the details of remote work to ensure its sustainability for all of those involved” said Silke Hoersch, VP of Marketing and Business Development at AnyDesk. “Our study on remote work examines critical questions businesses should consider and provides them valuable insights to act upon. Remote work has created unprecedented opportunities, which we hope will be utilized for everyone’s benefit.”

These new findings will serve as a vital guide in ensuring that the benefits of remote and hybrid work are understood and remain sustainable in the evolving workforce. Moreover, the AnyDesk remote desktop platform itself will continue to leverage these insights to produce creative work tools that encourage businesses to be innovative and grow confidently with a happy workforce.

In case you are interested in the entire “Remote Work Report”, you can download it here: https://bit.ly/3NQzIwN

About AnyDesk:

AnyDesk is one of the world’s leading providers of remote desktop software and boasts over 500 million downloads. Downloads for AnyDesk’s remote desktop solution doubled in 2021, making AnyDesk one of the 50 fastest growing companies in Germany. Present in more than 190 countries, over 100,000 customers rely on AnyDesk, including internationally renowned companies such as Bosch, McDonald’s and Google. Further information: Website | Blog | Twitter | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram