Employees who work remotely or split time between home and the office are happier than their office-only counterparts, according to recent research by Porch. When it comes to matters like pay, growth opportunities and overall job satisfaction, remote and split-workers are more satisfied than those who work exclusively in the office.
Surprisingly, just a few percentage points separate remote, split and office-only workers when it comes to satisfaction with work-life balance, relationships with co-workers and family life. This runs counter to popular thought, like the notion that better relationships are developed with coworkers in-office or that split-workers have a significantly better work-life balance.
Office workers’ perceptions of remote employees are particularly interesting. Nearly 80 percent of office workers think that remote employees are happier than them. Office workers are split on whether remote employees are less, the same or more driven, hardworking and productive. Most employees agreed remote workers were as necessary or more necessary than office workers.
So, what’s so great about working from home? The top two perks of remote work, by a long shot, are having no commute and a more flexible schedule. Other perks include staying home with kids or pets, less supervision, fewer interruptions, better focus and no workplace drama. More than 60 percent of remote workers complete personal tasks on the clock. Nearly 80 percent of them have watched TV when working from home. Distractions aside, employees who work from home actually feel more productive than office-only employees.
There are some perks to working in the office that might be the reason why almost half of remote workers plan on going back to an office environment. More than half of those who work from home feel lonely during the day. Close to 40 percent of them miss being around other people. They also miss office camaraderie, free coffee and office parties or social events.
Split-workers seem to have the best of both worlds. They get to enjoy the camaraderie and free coffee that come with office work and the flexibility that comes with remote work. It might explain why split-workers feel more valued by their employers and are less likely to feel disconnected from coworkers.