Despite the shift toward a more flexible workplace, 62% of US employees prefer going to the office, according to Randstad’s first-quarter Workmonitor survey released today.

The percentage is higher among young workers; 65% of those aged 18 to 24 said they prefer working in a traditional office environment, challenging the widespread perception that millennial and Gen Z workers tend to prefer digital interactions over personal ones, according to the report.

Although flexible and remote work arrangements are a top priority for employees, that's not necessarily the case for employers, who often don’t offer any or provide enough tools to fully support them. Additional survey findings include:

• 66% of workers said they like the option of occasionally working from home or another location, but are not able to do so.
• 36% of respondents report their workplaces support working from home anytime and anywhere they want.
• 35% disagree that their employers provide the necessary technical equipment to enable them to work from home.
• 30% of workers said they regularly have online or virtual team meetings via video conferencing.

The survey also found 66% of workers prefer to occasionally work from home or another location. And 80% of workers said they like agile work — defined in the study as the ability to work from anywhere, anytime.

“The takeaway for employers: workers appreciate having the option to work when and where they want, but also value interacting with colleagues face-to-face in the workplace,” said Randstad North America CHRO Jim Link. “Employers who strike the right balance — making flexible work arrangements as accessible as possible through technology while also cultivating a thriving office culture — will succeed in attracting and retaining top talent.”

The Randstad Workmonitor covers more than 30 countries around the world. The first-quarter study was conducted online from Jan. 10 to Jan. 26, 2018. The minimum sample size is 400 interviews per country.