The push for remote work has been attributed by some to Generation Z, but new research indicates a different population pushing for the freedom to work from anywhere: well-paid longtime employees.
McKinsey's Global Institute Analysis surveyed nearly 13,000 full-time office workers older than 18, including 3,200 based in the U.S. The survey ensured the U.S. respondents had the same distribution of age, sex, income, ethnicity and region as their country.
Experienced workers were more likely to indicate a strong work-from-home preference. Forty-four percent of senior-level respondents and 50 percent of midlevel respondents strongly prefer remote work, compared to 6 percent of junior employees.
This trend carried across paygrades. Thirty-three percent of workers making more than $150,000 per year strongly prefer working from home, as do 31 percent of workers making between $100,000 and $150,000.
When workers make less than six figures, their preference toward remote work drops substantially. Sixteen percent of those making between $75,000 and $100,000 strongly prefer to work from home. Only 9 percent of those making under $50,000 said the same.
These findings indicate that remote work is still a strong pull for top-performing talent, according to McKinsey. But it does not mean all executives will continue to work from home full time; in May, 87 percent of Fortune 500 CEOs said they spend at least four days per week in the office, and they expect similar desk time from their employees.