The transition to remote work was a necessary precaution regarding safety during COVID-19, but the concept raises the question: is it sustainable in the long run? For a vast portion of the Americans, the transition to working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic was a momentous event that revolutionized work. Advantages that arise from this work-life style are significant for the working population.
Although 6.5 percent of private-sector employees worked mostly from home in 2019, the pandemic marked the beginning of a significant turning point in full-time remote work for most employees and businesses. According to Census Bureau estimates, 38.8 percent of households had at least one person working remotely at least once a week between March 3 and March 15, 2021.
Remote work has brought numerous benefits to employees and employers, including cost savings. For employees, remote work decreases the need for transportation costs. Global Workspace finds that those who work from home save between $2,000 and $7,000 in work and transportation-related expenses. For employers, a reduction in rent and utility costs due to remote working have resulted in 60 percent of employers identifying that cost savings are a significant telecommuting benefit. Telecommuting reduces costs and the carbon footprint from everyday travel to work. Cornell University and Microsoft researchers found that remote workers can have up to a 54 percent lower carbon footprint than onsite workers.
Remote work has transformed the traditional work model by allowing people to work from anywhere and at any time. This freedom allowed 50 percent of workers to achieve a better work-life balance, which is vital to maintaining good mental and physical wellness. Remote work frees up time and energy that would otherwise be spent commuting, letting employees pursue personal hobbies or spend quality time with their families. One from Assignment Assistance survey found that remote workers were 22 percent happier than their office-based peers.
Allowing staff to work from home requires trust, but a business could benefit from higher productivity. According to collaborative research by the University of Chicago and the Mexico Autonomous Institute of Technology, 40 percent of respondents reported higher work-from-home productivity than in-person productivity. In addition, 60 percent reported being more productive at home than predicted.
Working from home can also reduce stressors that would be present in office spaces. While being employed from home, there are no office politics, lengthy commutes or other common office stressors. A study from Buffer showed that 22 percent of remote workers reported less stress. This lifestyle also offers more opportunities for self-care. Remote work can allow for additional self-care activities, such as taking breaks to exercise, cooking nourishing meals, or spending time with loved ones. These can lead to greater well-being and lower stress levels.
Job retention is also one of many things a remote-work lifestyle can improve. 87 percent of job seekers consider remote work a critical factor when searching for jobs, with 72 percent also seeking flexible schedules. Enabling these opportunities makes businesses more attractive to today’s workforce, especially to parents with kids. These workers find a positive work-life balance from work-from-home settings, increasing their probability of staying with the company. Currently, 14 percent of the U.S. workforce, or about 22 million people, work from home. With the desire for remote flexibility increasing, an overwhelming 98 percent of workers say they would like to work remotely at least part-time. As the demand for remote working lifestyles is on the rise, it is reasonable to believe that this is not just a trend, but a permanent and pivotal shift in today’s working population.