Remote Workers Enjoy Better Work-Life Balance

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.