Many Older Adults Would Choose Work-From-Home Flexibility Over Cash Bonuses

AARP reports that a Workplace Intelligence/WeWork survey of 2,000 U.S. employees and executives found 45 percent of 55-and-older workers are willing to waive at least one benefit or perk — like bonuses or paid time off — for the freedom to choose their work environment. With pandemic restrictions easing, 55-plus workers prefer to divide their time among multiple locations, and spend about half of their time at the office, on average. The rest of their time would be evenly split between home and public environments like a shared working space, a coffee shop, or a public library. Many older workers also wish to reduce the hours they spend in the traditional office on any particular day, with 31 percent citing less than five hours as ideal. The most popular benefits of a hybrid work situation for older employees are better life balance, greater control over their schedules, and a less stressful work environment. "Since older workers were more susceptible to being harmed by COVID-19, they learned to enjoy the time spent with their families, but missed the time in corporate offices and co-working spaces with their colleagues," said Workplace Intelligence's Dan Schawbel. "Since they've been in the workforce longer, they understand that working in different spaces is the best of all worlds."