Satisfaction with Remote Work Options Among Academic Library Employees: Implications for Recruitment and Retention

Abstract

This article discusses results from a study of U.S. academic library employees’ satisfaction with their remote work options, the conditions under which they would consider leaving their position for one with remote work or better remote work options, and the extent to which they agree or disagree that remote work options can play a positive role in academic library employee recruitment and retention. The study’s Qualtrics-hosted survey was distributed through 18 listservs serving a range of library professional areas and was open for responses for one month in the autumn of 2022. The survey results reveal that 47% of participants were satisfied with their job’s remote work options or lack thereof and that approximately 83% of participants who do not have remote work options expressed dissatisfaction with their lack of options compared with approximately 43% of those who do have some remote work options. Also, approximately 27% of participants indicated that they would consider leaving their current position for one with remote work options or more remote work days, and a smaller percentage would even consider leaving for less pay. Further, 97% believed that providing employees with remote work options could play a positive role in academic library recruitment and retention. These findings address a gap in the academic library literature and may serve to inform recruitment and retention strategies among libraries.

Keywords:

• Remote work
• telework
• library employees
• employee recruitment and retention
• employee job satisfaction

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).