Employees want commute expenses covered in exchange for office return

A majority of employees in the United States want employers to cover their commute expenses if they are expected to return to the office, according to a new survey.

Ringover's survey of 1,038 employees revealed that 96.3% are willing to compromise if provided with benefits that would make the return to work (RTW) more pleasant.

The most sought-after benefit among these employees is a paid commute, according to 83.2% of respondents.

The daily commute is one of remote employees' "most obvious" challenges when returning to the office, said Ringover, noting that longer commutes can disrupt work-life balance and lead to burnout.

The findings come amid previous calls from employees to make going to the office "commute worthy."

Additional pay requested for office return

In addition to perks, employees in the United States also said they would comply with an office-return policy if this meant getting a higher salary.

According to the Ringover survey, nearly half of employees want to be paid an extra $5,000 to $10,000 annually for returning to the office.

The findings come as 29% of employees reported receiving mandatory office-return instructions, while another 38% said they were "heavily encouraged."

Only 17% of the respondents haven't received an office-return mandate, while 14% said their related policy was optional.