Survey Shows A Majority Of Workers Would Take A Pay Cut In Exchange For These 2 Things
Would you be willing to earn less money for either of these perks?
Mongta Studio | Shutterstock There's one unifying reason why employees actually show up for work every single day. The pay. It's as simple as that. But is there such a thing as a job perk so good that it would make up for a pay cut from what you are currently earning? According to a survey conducted by Youngstown State University, of 1,000 employees in the U.S., there are actually two things that Americans would consider worthy of a pay cut: a remote or hybrid workplace or a four-day workweek.
Workers in the U.S. are burned out. In fact, according to an analysis by Glassdoor, burnout in 2025 has reached a 10-year high, increasing by 32% since 2015. Is it any wonder that in this economy, the only two things that could make an employee even consider less money would involve less time at work?
Survey shows a majority of workers would take a pay cut for these two things:
1. Remote or hybrid work
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One of the main findings from the survey was that 55% of full-time employees who work in an office would take a pay cut for permanent remote or hybrid work arrangements. That means if you went around a company and asked employees if they would take that deal, about one in two workers would accept it.
Researchers noted, “On average, in-person employees would accept an 11% salary cut for remote or hybrid work.” That's a significant reduction just to avoid a daily commute and the time spent clocking in and out. Unsurprisingly, workers who already had remote or hybrid jobs showed little interest in returning to the office. In fact, 13% said they would flat out quit if faced with a return-to-office mandate.
According to research by the U.S. Career Institute, there are a multitude of reasons why remote and hybrid work are a hot commodity in terms of job perks, and they don't just benefit workers. Eliminating an actual office could save a company nearly $11,000 per employee. And don't forget the productivity benefits.
A whopping 79% of managers have said that remote workers are more productive than in-house employees, and it's honestly not a surprise why. They are simply happier. Nearly all remote workers, 93% agree that working remotely has had a positive impact on their mental health, and 90% say that it has had a positive impact on their physical health.
The U.S. Career Institute also found that working from home could save employees a ton of money, which would compensate for the pay cut. The researchers noted, "A hybrid worker who works remotely half of the time can save up to $6,000 each year, and a fully remote employee could see savings of up to $12,000 each year by not having to pay for things like gas, office clothes, and lunch."
2. 4-day workweek
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According to the survey, 43% of employees also said they would be willing to take a pay cut if their job offered a 4-day workweek instead of the standard Monday through Friday schedule. And there's a good reason. Much like remote work, a 4-day workweek offers better work-life balance, which means reduced stress and an overall happier staff. Happy employees are more productive.
Back in 2022, nonprofit 4 Day Week Global and the think tank Autonomy conducted a six-month experiment at 61 companies, giving employees 100% of their pay for working 80% of the time in exchange for delivering 100% of their usual output. Guess what they found? Nearly all of the companies involved, 92%, continued with the 4-day workweek because revenue increased and turnover dropped.
A whopping 90% of employees said they loved the shortened week, 55% said they worked better in less time, and 15% said they would never work a regular 40-hour 5-day a week schedule ever again.
Much like in the remote work scenario, having a shorter workweek saves a company money as well. Microsoft Japan reduced costs by 23% a month in electricity charges alone while testing the four-day workweek. You know what else Microsoft found in their experiment? Workers were on the clock 20% less than before, but productivity jumped by 40%.
Although the results of all the 4-day workweek experiments were amazing, in the U.S., most companies are holding on tightly to the standard 40-hour workweek. There's even been a push in the last few years to head back to the office and eliminate remote work. The fact remains, a better work-life balance is what employees want, and if retention is important to employers, they better start listening.
Matt Machado is a writer studying journalism at the University of Central Florida. He covers relationships, psychology, celebrities, pop culture, and human interest topics.
