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If there was one thing that came up most often on the wish lists of respondents to the Convene Salary Survey 2019, it was the desire to have more flexibility over their schedules, and to be able to telecommute. They’re in good company.
According to a survey conducted by video-conferencing company Owl Labs — which collected data from more than 3,000 respondents across six continents in such industries as technology, marketing, health care, hospitality, transportation, and more — telecommuting increased 22 percent between 2017 and 2018. Last year, according to FlexJobs, 3.9 million Americans reported working from home sometimes or working remotely full-time, and the job site projects that by next year, half of all workers will be remote most of the time.
Owl Labs’ Global State of Remote Work study found that employees who work from home at least once a month are 24 percent more likely to feel happy and productive at work. According to the report, companies that allow remote work saw 25 percent less turnover than those who don’t.
Owl Labs organizes organizations into three categories when it comes to remote workers:
- Those that don’t allow remote work — 44 percent of global companies fall into this category.
- Fully remote companies, known as “distributed” companies, with no headquarters or office options. Employees work from home, workspaces, or wherever they choose. Sixteen percent of global companies are fully remote.
- Hybrid companies that offer both remote and in-office options. Employees have the ability to choose to work remotely, from an office or shared workspace, or to alternate between the two. Forty percent of companies are hybrid.
Among the report’s other findings:
- 52 percent of employees around the world work from home at least once per week, and 68 percent at least once per month.
- 18 percent of employees work remotely full time.
- 35 percent of respondents agree that remote work provides more opportunities for quality employment.
- The primary reason employees reported working from home was for better focus and increased productivity. The second-biggest reason was to reduce their commute.
Michelle Russell is Editor in Chief of Convene.
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