The 5 most surprising things about remote work in 2025

Companies are cracking down on remote work, demanding workers return to the office and gutting the flexible hybrid policies that became a signature of post-pandemic work-life balance.

But employees aren’t ready to give up on working from home. In fact, they seem to want it more than ever.

Software Finder, a software discovery and reviews website, conducted a survey of more than 1,000 on-site employees to ask them their thoughts on their current work arrangements.

They found that many employees are willing to make some major sacrifices to be able to work remotely.

Continue reading to see Software Finder’s 5 most surprising survey results.

1. Twenty-five percent of employees won’t take anything but remote in their next role.

The company found that a surprising one in four employees will only seek a remote job when they reenter the market, refusing to even consider a hybrid option. It’s evidence of just how many workers are unhappy about going to the office.

2. Seven in 10 employees would take a pay cut for flexible office policy.

A whopping 70% of in-office employees told Software Finder they would trade cash for the ability to work remotely, even just for a few days. If employers are looking to save money, they might want to rethink their in-office demands, since those surveyed said they’d be willing to sacrifice an average of 13.4% of their salary to work remotely.

3. One in 3 employees would take a demotion to work remotely.

It’s not just money workers are willing to give up for a flexible office policy. Software Finder revealed that 33% of employees are also willing to take a demotion if it means they don’t need to return to the office full-time.

4. And workers will give up vacation time too.

It couldn’t be clearer just how much employees are willing to lose to avoid commuting. The survey found that 46% of workers would give up vacation days for remote work, with 51% Gen Z workers saying they would even ditch up an average of 10 vacation days for the privilege.

5. Workers are likely willing to make sacrifices out of desperation.

If the numbers in the previous slides surprised you, it’s probably because in-office workers are struggling to find jobs that will allow them to work remotely. Forty-nine percent of on-site employees told Software Finder they think remote opportunities will decrease under the Trump administration. It’s a trend that is playing out in the finance world in particular, where workers are being told they must return to the office full-time.