More Americans Working Remotely

The Wall Street Journal

ARTICLE:

The rise of single parents in the workforce is bringing about a trend that just makes sense. Less employers are demanding their associates to be in the office every day, as there has been a rise in offices offering a remote "work from home" day at least once a week. The rate is currently 9.4% of the American workforce, up from the 7% who got a home day in 1997, according to the Census Bureau. The rise is not doubt made possible by the ease of faster internet, video calling, remote servers and the life. The trend of working from home, however, hits higher paid employees first, particularly in management, business and finance, often at private firms.
There have been critics and champions on both sides, some arguing its an excuse to get a longer weekend or write memoirs instead of getting face time with clients, but others, most notably a study from Beijing and Stanford University, argue it actually boosts productivity when there are flexible work programs in place. In their study a call center in China allowed workers to work from home, and in doing so, they saw they took less breaks and worked more efficiently. Separate studies also found higher happiness levels from remote workers. The number one reason why they were so happy? No commute.


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