Nelson Worldwide has published a survey of professionals from different sectors and different cities in the United States showing that only 7% of them want to return to work in the office 5 days a week. 

The questions in this survey were mainly about the impact of work and productivity on the workplace, taking into account the change in the way of working generated by the pandemic. 

According to the published survey, the various circumstances are summarized: 

- There is a tension between the desire to return to the office and the uncertainty of whether returning to the office will guarantee safety for the employee.

- The worker, who had once felt productive working from home, has noticed some variations in his productivity.

- The atmosphere generated in the office is still important, but it plays a different role in the worker's work-life balance equation. 

- People have returned to the basic needs explained in Maslow's Hierarchy: It is incumbent upon the worker to ensure the need for security and protection when coming to the office, and they require companies to ensure that security.

- Personal autonomy and flexibility will be non-negotiable for teams as they move forward, both in the way they choose to work and where they choose to work.

On the other hand, some key figures can be highlighted in the survey: 

- 40% of respondents feel somewhat or much less productive than before the pandemic. 36% of respondents feel somewhat or much more productive than before the pandemic. 

- 61% of respondents prefer to return to the office at least 1 day a week (with flexibility), while 7% of them want to return to the office 5 days a week.

- 48.2% of respondents consider it "extremely" important for a company to operate with a high degree of confidence in its workers. 36.7% of them consider this requirement to be "very" important. 

Other considerations that Nelson advises to take into account given the impact of remote working: 

- Understand how the stress levels and work-life balance of workers have been impacted by the implementation of remote working.

- Ask yourself how you can help those workers who are struggling with new and unfamiliar technology to feel more productive.

- In the face of a decrease in social activities generated in the canteen, cafe or other places near the office, try to encourage meetings between workers, in order to increase the sense of community.