Many people predicted that the COVID-19 outbreak would transform the world of work forever. That's exactly what has happened, according to a recent global study, with the majority of individuals throughout the world stating they want to continue working from home.

A majority of 12,500 employed persons in 29 countries surveyed by Ipsos for the World Economic Forum want flexible working to become the norm. And nearly a third of respondents (30%) indicated they would consider looking for a new job if they were compelled to return to work full-time.

The survey also casts doubt on a number of catastrophic forecasts concerning remote working's consequences. Experts predicted that people would miss their coworkers, become less productive, and burn out, but the study found only a minority of people agreeing with these predictions.

Only a third of those polled said they missed their coworkers, 64% said they were more productive with a flexible work schedule, and just over half indicated they were burnt out. When working remotely, only one in three people stated they felt alienated from their work.

However, a majority of respondents (66%) believe that businesses should give more flexibility in the future. Women, parents of school-aged children, those under 35, and those with greater levels of education and wealth were the most supportive of increased flexibility.

People with children under the age of 17 (68 percent) and those without children (68 percent) both demanded more flexible working hours (63 percent ). However, not everyone who responded to the survey desired to work from home all of the time.

Office nine-to-five anyone?

A quarter of people worldwide want to return to work five days a week as soon as the pandemic is ended, with Mexico showing the most enthusiasm (40 percent ). In South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Peru, India, and the United States, more than a third of respondents wish to return five days a week.

COVID-19 has prompted a shift to remote working, according to the survey. Before the epidemic, 53% stated they worked primarily or always in an office. That proportion had reduced to 39% at the time of the study, which was conducted between May 21 and June 4, 2021.

The percentage of persons working largely or entirely from home varies greatly between countries, ranging from at least half of those polled in South America, Malaysia, Singapore, and South Africa to 21% in Russia and only 15% in China.

Prior to the epidemic, fewer than a quarter (24%) of people in the world worked mostly from home. Today, that number has climbed to nearly two-fifths (39%) of the population, with another 22% working outside their homes but not in an office. COVID-19, according to three-quarters (76%) of those who currently work from home, is the cause.

Even though the majority wish to keep the work flexibility they were allowed during the pandemic, many believe they will have to return to the workplace at some point. Over a quarter of individuals (27%) believe it will happen within six months, and another 24% believe it will happen within a year.

In France, Saudi Arabia, the Netherlands, and Hungary, nearly half of remote workers anticipate to return to work within six months.

However, a third or more of workers in Australia, South Africa, and the United Kingdom do not expect the workplace to return to its pre-pandemic state, a sentiment shared by nearly a fifth (18%) of the global workforce.