As the Covid-19 pandemic sweeps the globe, people are being told to self-isolate and work from home. For some, this is nothing new as they’ve been part of work from home companies for years now. Yet for others, working remotely is an entirely new concept. Thus, we hope the following work from home statistics will help ease your mind and prepare you better for the weeks to come. Telecommuting, productivity, overhead costs, and general facts about the virtual workers of America, are just some of the things we’ll briefly cover in this article.
So, take a moment of your time and be sure to go through these most interesting stats and facts we’ve laid out for you below:
Top 10 Most Essential Working From Home Statistics
- In a recent survey, 30% of people stated they worked remotely full-time.
- 3.6% of US workers worked from home half-time or more.
- Over the past five years, the number of employers who allow their employees to work from home has increased by around 40%.
- About 80% of workers want to be able to work from home from time to time (at the very least).
- Given the chance, 35% of employees would take another job that allowed them to work from home (full-time), statistics on working from home indicate.
- Having a flexible schedule is considered the top benefit of working remotely, according to 40% of people.
- 62% of remote workers are concerned that their colleagues and managers working from the office believe they aren’t working hard enough.
- Two-thirds of companies take their remote workers to be more productive.
- Of all the people working from home, 16% hold managerial titles.
- Businesses that allow the option of remote working (at least partially), save around $44 billion per year in total.
General Telecommuting Statistics from 2018 to 2020
1. In a recent survey, 30% of people stated they worked remotely full-time.
(Owl Labs)
The information was supplied by Owl Labs’ “State of Remote Work 2019” report which surveyed 1,202 people in the US (aged 22–65).
What’s more, the survey also revealed that merely 7% of people worked remotely at least three days a week, another 11% said they worked remotely at least once a week, 6% said they worked from home only once a month, and just 8% said they worked from home less than once per month.
In addition, 38% of respondents never work remotely.
2. Remote working statistics from 2018 reveal 3.6% of US workers worked from home half-time or more.
(Global Workplace Analytics)
This is roughly 5 million Americans; a considerable increase since 2005 (1.8 million).
3. Over the past five years, the number of employers who allow their employees to work from home has increased by around 40%.
(Fundera)
This might seem like a lot at first glance, yet, in reality, only 7% of all US employers offer this option to employees.
4. Around 56% of on-site employees could do at least some of their work from home.
(Global Workplace Analytics)
According to remote working statistics, another 62% of people claim that they could work from home if their company allowed it.
5. About 80% of workers want to be able to work from home from time to time (at the very least).
(Global Workplace Analytics)
It seems that employers are the ones insisting on people coming into the office and not the other way round.
6. Given the chance, 35% of employees would take another job that allowed them to work from home (full-time).
(Global Workplace Analytics)
Of those that concurred, 47% were Millennials and 31% were Baby Boomers, as the latest remote work statistics report indicates. Finding another part-time (or even full-time) job is not as hard nowadays with specialized websites doing all the hard work for you.
7. When asked where they worked from the most, 84% of remote workers said they worked from home.
(Buffer)
Another 8% said they make use of coworking spaces, 4% said they use coffee shops, and 5% said they use libraries to do work.
8. 91% of business owners said they intended on offering their employees the option to work remotely from the start.
(Buffer)
Remote working statistics from 2019 reveal that just 9% of business owners had no plans of supporting remote work whatsoever.
9. According to the same survey, for 40% of the respondents, some of the work was done in the office, whereas the rest was done remotely.
(Buffer)
On the other hand, 31% said their whole team worked remotely.
What’s more, 16% said that remote work was allowed when needed; another 9% confirmed they could work remotely for a certain period every week or month; lastly, merely 4% of respondents were a one-person business or a freelancer.
10. 33% of companies employ between 1% and 25% of remote workers on their teams, telecommuting statistics from 2019 show.
(Buffer)
Another 17% stated they employ from 26% to 50% of their team as remote workers; for 11% the figures were between 51% and 75%; finally, only 9% of companies said that the majority of their workforce (76% to 99%) worked remotely.
11. 27% of working people see their commute as a time-waster.
(Regus)
Let’s face it, nobody likes traffic during peak hours. In general, people spend quite a bit of their time traveling to and from work — time that could be better spent doing other things.
Facts About Working From Home
12. Having a flexible schedule is considered the top benefit of working remotely, according to 40% of people.
(Buffer)
Next comes the option of working from any location (30%), spending time with family (14%), and (surprise, surprise!) working from the leisure of your own home (13%).
13. Being unable to just unplug after a hard day’s work is seen as the biggest issue for remote workers (22% to be precise).
(Buffer)
When it comes to the latest work from home statistics, 2019 data shows that 19% of remote workers claimed that loneliness was, in fact, the biggest issue; another 17% complained that they had either communication or collaboration issues; lastly, 10% admitted that working from home came with its own set of distractions.
14. 32% of remote workers stated that they were allowed unlimited vacation time.
(Buffer)
Everyone could use a break from time to time, and remote workers are no exception.
Apart from the lucky ones above, work from home stats reveal 19% of remote workers were given four weeks of vacation time; 15% had three weeks of vacation; 9% had two weeks, and a lowly 8% didn’t receive any vacation time at all.
15. 62% of remote workers are concerned that their colleagues and managers working from the office believe they aren’t working hard enough.
(SHRM)
Some believe that their choice to work from home will be misinterpreted as a form of laziness or unwillingness to commute. This is often not the case; it is merely a lifestyle choice.
16. When it comes to working from home, productivity statistics indicate that 2 out of 3 remote workers are far more productive while working from home.
(SHRM)
In addition, 3 out of 4 surveyees revealed that their work-life balance had improved since they started working remotely.
17. On the other hand, 45% of global respondents claim they find it difficult to concentrate when working from home.
(Regus)
Of these, 48% report that they are being disrupted by family members; another 30% say they struggle due to the lack of proper office equipment back home, and 22% state they have a problem with slow or interrupted internet access when doing work from home, statistics reveal.
18. Skype, Whatsapp, and Facebook Messenger were among the top three messaging apps for remote workers.
(Regus)
Of these, 65% used Whatsapp, 60% used Skype, and 51% used Facebook Messenger for work-related communications.
19. Two-thirds of companies take their remote workers to be more productive.
(TECLA)
This increase in productivity is largely due to the lack of distractions happening outside the office.
20. Remote workers enjoy reduced stress (82%) as opposed to their office counterparts.
(TECLA)
Less stress means more productivity. After all, a happy worker is a productive worker.
Remote Work Statistics — Demographics
21. 46% of people with a VP-level job are able to work from home.
(Owl Labs)
What’s more, 55% of company founders and C-level employees are also able to work from home. Obviously, being the boss has its perks.
22. Of the remote workers surveyed, 15% worked in healthcare.
(Owl Labs)
Next in line were technology and internet service workers (10%), financial services workers (9%), 8% were in education, and 7% were in manufacturing, work from home trends from 2019 reveal.
23. 46 is the average age of the person telecommuting.
(Flexjobs)
What’s more, they also hold a bachelor’s degree or higher, and they earn more on average than their office counterparts, so they are able to improve their retirement saving rates.
24. Of all the people working from home, 16% hold managerial titles.
(Fundera)
This just goes to show that not only junior team members are able to work from home. Employees with lots of responsibilities can still work remotely and be productive.
Working From Home Stats — Expenses
25. For 75% of remote workers, their company doesn’t cover the costs of their home internet.
(Buffer)
Not only that but 71% of respondents also stated that their company doesn’t cover the costs of coworking memberships either. The cost of food and beverages in coffee shops is also a far cry it seems for many a remote worker working there (87%).
26. Remote work can save a significant amount of money and improve cash flow for employers.
(SHRM)
A great example provided by work from home statistics is Aetna Insurance, which allowed 47% of their workforce to work outside of the office resulting in savings of $70 million per year just on office expenses alone.
27. Working from home can save both your and your employer’s money.
(TECLA)
According to TECLA, a remote worker can save around $7,000 per year simply by working from home and companies can save around $11,000 per year by having a remote worker.
28. The average income of remote workers was $42,442, 2018 work from home stats indicate.
(CNBC)
In total, workers had a median average of $38,184 overall, which is slightly below the remote worker’s average.
29. Businesses that allow the option of remote working (at least partially), save around $44 billion per year in total.
(Fundera)
Naturally, this figure is the collective sum for all businesses. Nevertheless, when divided, the savings are still quite significant.
FAQs
What percentage of the workforce works from home?
(CNBC)
Around 43% of people in the US work remotely at least some of the time, so most of them still have to visit the office at some point.
Of course, due to the current coronavirus pandemic, workplace accommodations will most likely shift and we’ll see an increased number of remote workers.
Once the pandemic is finally over, many companies will have realized the benefits of working from home and create more remote work opportunities as a result.
Is it more productive to work from home?
(Owl Labs)
79% of people who work remotely claimed that they had better focus and increased levels of productivity while working from home.
Of course, this does depend on the situation at home. If you live alone or are alone during the day, it will likely be easier than if your children or spouse are around while you are trying to concentrate.
How do you ensure employees are working from home?
(Forbes)
Well, first of all, you need to make sure they are aware of what they need to do at all times. In other words, good communication software and a thorough onboarding process.
Time tracking software is another neat way of ensuring people stay productive.
Finally, various project management software to keep tabs on everyone’s progress (and to make sure that no one is slacking off) is yet another requirement for staying productive.
Why should companies allow work from home?
(Entrepreneur)
Employees who work from home don’t waste time on a commute, they are more productive, they are generally happier, and they are less likely to resign. It also benefits the company’s bottom line by saving on office space and utilities.
In addition to this, businesses that allow for remote work can hire people from all over the world, which means they have access to a wider pool of talent. Outsourcing statistics clearly outline the benefits.
Conclusion
With the way things are constantly changing, especially due to the recent coronavirus outbreak, these up-to-date work from home statistics truly come in handy (or at least we hope so).
All in all, with some careful study and tinkering, more companies will realize the benefits of having a remote workforce, thus improving their productivity and reducing costs in the process.
The reasons to work from home are plenty, and these will become more apparent in the days and weeks to come.
