One of the biggest benefits from flexible work is improved productivity levels. Companies see better output from their teams and professionals feel more productive in their roles.
According to FlexJobs’ 7th annual survey of more than 3,000 respondents interested in work flexibility, 65% of workers think they would be more productive at home than working in a traditional office environment. It is estimated that 60% or less of work time is spent productively.
The reasons professionals feel they would be more productive at home rather than an office include:
- Fewer distractions (75%)
- Fewer interruptions from colleagues (74%)
- Reduced stress from commuting (71%)
- Minimal office politics (65%)
“If they want to maximize their employees’ productivity, smart employers need to seriously consider the feedback from their staff that they’re being more productive outside the traditional office environment,” said Sara Sutton, founder and CEO of FlexJobs. “People across generations and various demographics, such as working parents, freelancers, introverts, those managing chronic illnesses, caretakers, and many more, may have different reasons for why they’re more productive telecommuting, but the bottom line is workers across the board say they get more work done from their home office,” Sutton concluded.
Work flexibility appeals to workers across career and education levels as well. Sixty-nine percent of respondents to FlexJobs’ survey had at least a bachelor’s degree, 30% had a graduate degree, and 32% were manager level or higher. Eighteen percent of respondents make more than $75,000. Luckily, there are a variety of higher-paying manager and executive-level jobs with remote work options available for these professionals.
Additional key findings of the FlexJobs 2018 survey include:
About Today’s Flexible Job Seekers
- Since 2013, work-life balance (76%), family (44%), time savings (42%), and commute stress (42%) have been the top four reported reasons people seek flexible work.
- 61% have left or considered leaving a job because it did not have work flexibility.
- 100% telecommuting is the most in-demand type of flexible work arrangement (80%), followed by flexible schedules (71%).
- Of those who telecommuted in 2017, 22% telecommuted more this year than last year.
- 97% are interested in being a flexible worker in the long term.
- Only 3% of respondents worry a lot that a flexible work arrangement will hurt their career progression.
- 83% of respondents know someone who telecommutes.
Employers Experience Bottom-Line Benefits from Telecommuters
- Work-life balance (73%) was ranked more important than salary (70%) when evaluating a job prospect.
- 76% of respondents also said they would be more loyal to their employers if they had flexible work options.
- 28% of respondents said they would take a pay cut in exchange for the option to telecommute.
- Only 8% of workers said they prefer going to the office to do important work.
Opinions on Workplace Issues
- Only 16% said the gender pay gap and gender inequality were not problems in the workplace.
- Nearly half said they have felt discrimination in the workplace because of their gender.
- 39% think the various generations work well together in the workplace, 54% said somewhat but there is room for improvement, and 7% said there is definitely tension.
Health and Happiness
- 45% said a job with flexibility would have a huge improvement on their overall quality of life and 52% said it would have a positive impact.
- 77% of respondents said having a flexible job would allow them to be healthier (eat better, exercise more, etc.) and 86% said they’d be less stressed.
*Demographic breakdown of the 3,100 respondents: Gender: women (78%), men (22%); Ages: 20-39 (28%), 40-59 (54%), 60+ (17%); Education: high school degree or equivalent (5%), some college but no degree (16%), associate or bachelor’s degree (48%), graduate degree (30%); Career level: entry-level (10%), experienced (58%), manager (20%), senior level or higher (12%). 32% work at companies with fewer than 50 employees, 28% are at companies with 51-1,000 employees, 28% are at companies with more than 1,000 employees. 19% make more than $75,000, with 26% making less than $25,000.
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