When people think about remote workers, visions of employees hanging around in their pajamas all day while gleefully wasting their time watching YouTube videos usually comes to mind. However, the latest survey is disproving this theory, as it was said that remote workers are a lot more productive than office workers.
According to a new study released Tuesday by video and voice collaboration technology Polycom, Inc., and Human Resources executive network and research firm Future Workplace (via New York Post), it was found that employees work more efficiently when operating remotely.
In a survey of more than 24,000 workers, 62 percent have remote working arrangements with the company, while 98 percent say that “anywhere working” has a positive impact on productivity.
Jeanne Meister, a partner at Future Workplace, said that remote work has many benefits which include better communication, improved work-life balance, and more flexibility with child care. This is why so many working parents are opting to have similar arrangements with their workplace, so they can provide for their family while being available to meet their needs.
As for the stigma that remote workers are lazy layabouts who do nothing but lounge in sleepwear all day while evading calls from the office, Meister acknowledges that this kind of thinking does exist.
“There is a stigma that remote workers are disconnected from the rest of the team, yet this study proves that they are more sociable and proactively reach out to develop strong relationships,” she said.
Moreover, Meister said that the new technology that remote workers have access to makes working from home a very different experience that what it was before. Remote workers’ access to the new technology is said to enable communication and collaboration, and these tools motivate workers to seek face time and create lasting bonds.
Apart from being more productive, remote workers are also said to be happier than their office-going counterparts. According to a TINYpulse survey of over 200,000 employees (via Forbes), remote workers scored 8.10 compared to workers’ score of 7.42 when asked “how happy are you at work?”
Remote workers also feel more valued, as they scored 7.75 compared to workers’ 6.69. Also, 91 percent of remote workers feel that they are more productive due to their work arrangement.
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