Working from home, a modality desired by many, could be negatively impacting the salaries of those who practice it. A study A recent study carried out in the United Kingdom has discovered that job offers with the option of telecommuting They offer salaries between 2% and 7% lower than those for 100% in-person or hybrid jobs.
This finding adds to a trend that has been suspected for some time. According to a previous survey by the Danish expense management platform Pleo, cited by the “Genbeta” portal, almost one in five European small and medium-sized companies (SMEs) is considering reducing the salaries of remote employees. SMEs, which represent 99% of companies in the European Union, seek to optimize costs and increase productivity.
The British study, which covers the period between 2018 and 2023, concludes that an increase in remote work is related to lower wages for those who work from home. This, according to the authors, could “counteract some or all of the direct benefits” of teleworking.
Likewise, the researchers warn that Remote work has the potential to increase employment inequality. This is because higher-paid employees with higher educational levels are more likely to be in occupations suitable for teleworking. Consequently, the gap could increase between those who can access these opportunities and those who are forced to work in person.
The report also highlights that working from home reduces employee expenses, allowing employers to keep wages low. Respondents who go to the office regularly They indicated that they would be willing to sacrifice up to 8.2% of their salary for the possibility of working from home. However, this percentage reflects people who, due to their educational level, already started with higher salaries.
It is important to remember that going to the office generates significant costs for employees. In fact, other studies have shown that a quarter of workers would be willing to reduce their annual salary by 15% in exchange for a flexible schedule, according to Owl Lab’s 2023 “State of Work” report.
In many countries, one of the main expenses when traveling to the workplace is gasoline. Although working from home also involves certain costs, such as electricity consumption, these are usually lower.