Remote Workers Enjoy Better Work-Life Balance

By Dennis McCafferty | Posted 2014-03-27

Employees who do most of their work outside of a traditional office enjoy improved work-life balance, according to a recent survey from Flex+Strategy Group. The survey also counters some stigmas about remote workers. For example, though younger employees are more commonly found working on a mobile device in their home or a coffee shop, plenty of older workers are doing the same thing. You may also be surprised to find out how many more men than women are afforded this flexibility. That inequity should be stopped because working remotely is emerging as a key recruitment and productivity driver, rather than just a perk for the chosen few. "Almost one-third of the work that gets done today gets done from home, coffee shops and other locations," says Cali Williams Yost, CEO of Flex+Strategy Group, a consultancy that advises companies about flex-work arrangements. "Yet, too many corporate leaders treat telework as a disposable option, as in the case of Yahoo. Telework is not a perk—it's an operational strategy. Organizations that think of it as anything less ignore what has become a vital part of their business and the way their people actually work." More than 550 U.S. employees took part in the research.

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Virtualized Environment

31% of full-time workers in the U.S. do most of their work remotely.
Youth Movement

35% of employees who are 29 years old or younger work remotely, compared with 30% of employees 30 or older.
Family Plan

32% of parents work remotely, which is basically the same percentage as employees who don't have children.
Men's Club

Nearly three out of four teleworkers are male.
Boxed In

43% of women and 27% of men work in a cubicle or open-office environment most of the time.
Stressful Surroundings

42% of cube/open-office workers and 31% of remote workers say they have less work-life flexibility now than they did a year ago.
Authoritative Command

42% of cube/open-office workers and 20% of remote employees say their boss controls their work-life flexibility.
Educational Advantage

47% of remote workers and 35% of cube/open-office workers say they're likely to receive training or guidance to manage work-life flexibility.
Balanced Equation

30% of men and women do most of their work in a private office on-site.
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