Working from Home Boosts Productivity and Satisfaction, Survey Indicates

Working from home may make you more satisfied and boost your productivity according to a new study by Porch. The survey included responses from 1,001 people who either work in an office, work remotely, or split their time between an office and home (“split workers”) and explored such topics as job satisfaction, work-location benefits, productivity and distractions, and downsides of remote working.

Interestingly, employees who work from home are more satisfied with their jobs overall than those who work in an office by more than 8 percent. (Satisfaction between remote and split employees only differed by .7 percent.) Remote workers also reported greater satisfaction with their job opportunities and compensation than office workers and split workers.

While you may think that remote workers would have the highest satisfaction in terms of work/life, it seems that split workers come out on top, reporting 78.3 percent satisfaction with work/life balance versus remote workers at 77 percent and office workers at 72 percent. Split workers also indicated the greatest satisfaction with their family life, while remote workers reported the lowest satisfaction.

And when it comes to feeling valued by the higher ups, split workers and remote workers felt significantly more valued—65 percent and 61.5 percent respectively—than office workers, only 51.4 percent of whom felt valued.

Unsurprisingly, remote workers felt the most disconnected from their coworkers. And more than half of remote workers felt lonely during the work day. The top five aspects of office work that remote employers miss the most according to the survey are:

1. Being around other people
2. Office camaraderie
3. Free coffee
4. Office parties or social events, and
5. Growth opportunities

Of course, remote employees also noted a variety of benefits from working at home, including,

1. No commute
2. Flexible schedule
3. Being home with kids or pets
4. Less supervision, and
5. Fewer interruptions.

An added bonus is that remote workers from this survey reported greater productivity working from home, with 7 more minutes of productive time a day than office workers and 11 more minutes of productive time a day than split workers. Remote workers also reported greater efficiency, logging fewer minutes on the clock than their office- and split-worker counterparts but still achieving more productive time.

When asked to compare productivity at the office versus at home, split workers gave a slighter edge to remote working, with 37.4 percent saying they are more productive at home and 33.6 percent indicating they are more productive at the office. Down the middle, 29 percent of split workers responded that they are equally productive at home and at the office.

Whether it’s a productivity boost, job satisfaction, greater flexibility, or an enhanced feeling of worth, working from home—at least part time—may offer a range of benefits. And the convenience factor can’t be beat.