By the Numbers
Have you ever found yourself suiting up for the office but wishing you could stay home to finish a report in your pajamas instead? You might be in luck. By some estimates, telecommuting has increased by 80 percent over the past decade.
But who are these stay-at-home workers, and are they actually taking care of business?
1 | The number of days per week the average telecommuter works from home. |
Working from home isn’t an all-or-nothing arrangement. In reality, most telecommuters split their time between home and office. About 17 percent of employees in the United States telecommute at least some of the time.
Source: usnews.com
50% | The percentage of telecommuters who wanted to go back to the office. |
A Chinese travel website gave its employees the option to work from home for a study about productivity among telecommuters. Of those who volunteered to work from home, only half chose to continue telecommuting when the study was over. One reported reason so many employees wanted to return to the office: they missed the camaraderie of their coworkers.
Source: hbr.org
10% | The decrease in productivity when at-home jobs involve repetitive tasks. |
Studies have shown that productivity goes down when telecommuters are bored. On the other hand, efficiency goes up by 20 percent when at-home employees get to do some creative thinking. Variations in personalities and work habits can also affect how much work an employee gets done. If you struggle to stay on task at work, it can be even harder to keep focused at home.
Source: flexjobs.com
600,000 | The number of Americans with “megacommutes” of 90-plus minutes each way. |
The average commuter spends forty-five minutes and about ten dollars a day getting to the office, making telecommuting a real budget saver. Employers get to cut costs too—around $10,000 a year per employee due to higher retention rates, reduced facility costs, and lowered absenteeism, according to one study.
Sources: money.cnn.com, blog.credit.com, forbes.com
49 | The Age of the typical telecommuter. |
Picture the stereotypical at-home worker, and you might conjure up a working mom or a millennial millionaire—but the numbers say otherwise. The typical telecommuter is actually a middle-aged college grad earning about $58,000 a year. Nearly equal numbers of men and women telecommute, with some studies suggesting that men are more likely to be found in a home office.
Sources: nytimes.com, flexjobs.com
25% | The amount of stress reduction reported by work-at-home employees. |
People who work from home tend to eat better, maintain a better work-life balance, spend more time with their families, and generally feel happier than their office-bound peers, according to one recent study. They also enjoy a more flexible work environment, with the freedom to break away from the laptop for errands or a midday stroll.
Source: monster.com
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Written by Jenn Wilks
