Survey: Remote Workers More Productive and Reliable Than In-Office Peers

Many people imagine remote workers sitting around their house in their pajamas, sipping coffee and checking emails. And while that may be somewhat true (I’m in my pajamas right now), a new survey found that employees who work from home are more productive and reliable than their in-office colleagues.

The survey, conducted by ConnectSolutions, suggests that employers who allow remote workers benefit from cost-savings and productivity gains, while the employees enjoy other advantages.

“Even the personal benefits workers experience can be viewed as employer benefits since workers tend to be happier, less stressed out, and healthier, thereby bringing down the costs of turnover, absenteeism, lower productivity, and other issues,” said Michael Fitzpatrick, CEO of ConnectSolutions.

Survey highlights include:

• Seventy-seven percent of remote workers said they’re more productive when working outside the office.
• More than half (52 percent) of remote workers said they’re less likely to take time off from work, even if they’re sick.
• Remote workers are saving up to $5,240 in expenses a year by staying at home.
• Nearly half (45 percent) of employees who work from home said they’re getting more sleep.

According to The Huffington Post, Stanford recently conducted a study that backs up the findings in the ConnectSolutions study. Stanford researchers used 255 employees of a Chinese travel agency. Half of the employees worked from home, and the other half remained working in the office. Here’s what happened:

While the performance of the group that stayed in the office remained stable, the performance of the work-from-home group increased by 13 percent, as measured by their sales rate and interactions with customers. They were also more productive per minute. The researchers cited less noise distraction, fewer breaks and fewer sick days as some possible reasons for the boosts in productivity.

Interestingly, when the testing was over, the travel agency workers were given the choice to work from home or in the office.

“Roughly half the work-from-homers decided to return the office, and three-quarters of the group who remained in the office decided to stay there — and typically, it was the highest-performing employees who chose to work from home,” HuffPo said.

Results from both surveys echo my own experiences. I’ve been working from home for just more than a year. I love it.

I am more efficient with my time, and therefore, more productive. Most of the time, even if my kids get sick, I’m still able to work. I’ve also made a handful of personal trips and continued to work instead of taking time off. All I had to do was arrange my work hours around my travel time. It’s been a great fit for me.

What are your thoughts about the survey? Do you think remote workers are more productive and less likely to take time off? Share your comments below or on our Facebook page.

Watch this video to get a window into the life and benefits of a work-from-home employee.