Lower Salary, More Flexibility?

Advertising Disclosure: When you buy something by clicking links on our site, we may earn a small commission, but it never affects the products or services we recommend.

Image Not Available

Yesterday NBC News wrote about a new survey from staffing firm Mom Corps (great name), which found people would take a pay cut for more flexible work.

The article doesn’t say how many people the group talked to, but “nearly half of working adults surveyed (45 percent) are willing to give up some percentage of their salary for more flexibility at work.” More than half would consider starting their own business to achieve flexibility.

Flexibility includes flextime – the ability to set a variable schedule so long as you get an agreed amount of work done, usually with part of the day being non-negotiable – and working from home (one of my favorite things about writing for Money Talks News).

The study also found that those willing to trade salary for flexibility would accept a 9 percent pay cut, on average. That’s more than 50 percent above last year’s result (5.8 percent).

While a lot of people want flexible work, only a small number of jobs offer it. “Only 3 percent of wage and salary employees work mainly from home,” NBC News says.

Get smarter with your money!

Want the best money-news and tips to help you make more and spend less? Then sign up for the free Money Talks Newsletter to receive daily updates of personal finance news and advice, delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for our free newsletter today.