13 Remote Working & Workplace Flexibility Stats

Whether it’s a full time remote job or the ability to work at home occasionally, remote working is a growing trend across industries. Companies may be dragging their feet in terms of creating workplace flexibility policies, hiring remote workers and deciding how to secure corporate data away from the office, but these companies are doing themselves a disservice.

Not only has the number of people who work remotely (either for a company or freelance) increased over the past decade, employee-driven desires are likely to continue pushing the trend – particularly as younger generations enter the workforce. Companies that embrace this trend rather than fight it will see increased access to top talent, improved employee retention and even increased employee productivity.

Still not convinced? Here’s a quick look at how workplace flexibility trends have been developing, what workers want and why allowing remote working is actually good for both employees and their employers.

The Workforce is Already Going Remote

This isn’t a trend that’s on the horizon – it’s one that’s been steadily growing for the past 15 years or so. Improving technology and connectively has allowed it to pick up momentum in recent years and it’s likely to continue growing aggressively as solutions like secure virtual desktops become more widely implemented.

1. Globally, 70% of people work remotely at least once a week and 53% telecommute for at least half the work week. (Source)
2. 43% of US employees work remotely in some capacity. (Source)
3. As of 2016, 60% of companies offer telecommuting opportunities — a 3x increase since 1996. (Source)
4. Every industry surveyed by Global Workplace Analytics and FlexJobs in 2017 saw more than a 20% increase in remote job listings. (Source)

Workers Want Flexibility

Technology is making workplace flexibility feasible, but the main catalyst is employees. Today’s workers are placing increased emphasis on better work-life balance, minimizing stressful commutes, the ability to focus uninterrupted and other desires that align with working away from the office. And workers are increasingly letting these desires steer their careers.

5. 76% of workers who need to get something important done prefer to do so away from the office. (Source)
6. 37% of employees would switch job for the ability to work off-site at least part time. (Source)
7. 50% of Millennials would switch jobs for the ability to work remotely full time. (Source)
8. 62% of people have left or are considering leaving a job because of a lack of workplace flexibility. (Source)

Remote Working is a Good Thing

Workplace flexibility isn’t something employees simply want, it positively impacts their work experience and productivity. Between increased productivity and a noticeably improved ability to hire top talent, employers should be just as enticed by flexible working programs as employees are. Happy employees can have a major impact on organizational success.

9. 38% of workers say the ability to work remotely has the greatest impact on their workplace satisfaction. (Source)
10. 49% say the ability to work from any location, anytime has the greatest impact on their productivity. (Source)
11. Employees who spend 60%-80% of their time working remotely are the most engaged and feel they make more progress during the day. (Source)
12. 85% of customer contact managers agree that offering work at home programs enables them to hire more qualified talent. (Source)
13. 79% of employees said they’d be more loyal to the company if they had flexible work options. (Source)

On board with the concept of remote working but wondering how to actually pull it off? Three industry experts share their top challenges and wins with their remote working programs. See what they have to say >>