Why Remote Workers are more productive?

Multiple recent studies have pointed out that remote workers are more productive than their office counterparts. Well, we're here to tell you this is no myth! After the recent Covid-19 pandemic, many corporate entities were forced to have at least half of their staff work from home where possible. The results of this move have been astounding and contrary to the popular beliefs commonly held by senior-level management. As unbelievable as the very notion of this reality is, we assure you this is the truth. There are a few reasons for this phenomenon, some of which we will delve into in this article!

For further reading, check out these articles from
Forbes: https://m5.gs/RGFCWk &
Fortune: https://m5.gs/Y0R5d2

Quite a few studies over the past few years, including the articles cited above, indicate that remote workers, on average, work one day more than their office counterparts. Stemming from remote workers spending less time unproductive, typically 10 minutes a day is gained when working from home.

In a Stanford University study with over 16 000 participants, it was found that in 9 months, productivity for remote workers increased by 13% compared to office workers. In the same study, they also found that work satisfaction was increased and absent days were cut by 50%.

Contributing factors

• According to a 2012 study, office workers who were given tedious duties performed more quickly and accurately in the typical office environment. Home distractions are more likely to keep you from doing productive work when you don't enjoy your job.
• However, this study discovered that more creative labour produced more fruitful outcomes. In other words, a task will be finished more quickly the fewer restrictions that are placed on it.
• A 2012 study found that office workers who were assigned tedious tasks were more efficient and generally did better in an office environment. The reasoning behind this fact is amusingly accurate: Home distractions are more likely to keep you from being productive when you don't enjoy your work, as evidenced by a study indicating that more creative work produced better results. In other words, a task will be finished more quickly the fewer restrictions that are placed on it.
• Remote workers are putting in longer hours. According to research by Ergotron, 40% of workers put in more time at home than at the office. Additionally, according to information from the National Bureau of Economic Research, these long workdays are often 48.5 minutes longer. This time might translate into more than 193 extra working hours for full-time workers in a calendar year.
• The work-life balance of remote employees has improved. Surprisingly, 75% of Egotron poll respondents claimed that their work-life balance has improved since they started working from home. Information from the Future Forum supports this idea. The Future Forum discovered that remote workers have twice the work-life balance of full-time office workers in April 2022.
• Remote employees are less stressed. Additionally, patterns toward lessened job stress among remote workers were found in a 2020 Nitro study. In the same poll, 29% of respondents who worked remotely reported being moderately stressed at work, which decreased from 33% in 2019 when office work was the norm. The study also revealed a decrease in workers who reported feeling "very" stressed at work. Due to the move from on-site to remote employment, this number dropped from 17% in 2019 to 15% in 2020.

Remote workers generally produce better results, but this shouldn't be considered a universal truth. It is contextual, as shown above, whether or not workers do better at home or in the office. Take the information above with a grain of salt and consider the nature of the work before telling all your staff members to go home.

If you want more exciting articles like this, check out our @Focus blog, the official Nomad Supply blog site!