Ellington

The benefits of enabling employees to work remotely have been driving a steady increase in its acceptance throughout the U.S. According to FlexJobs, a service connecting telecommuters with employers, more than 4.7 million Americans either worked remotely or telecommuted at least half-time by 2018, which is more than twice the number who had done so just ten years earlier.

Experience has shown that working remotely stands to benefit employers and employees in a number of ways:

Each remote worker saves their employer an average of $10,000 a year on workspace and related expenses. Better morale among employees with less turnover, lower absenteeism and greater engagement is a likely outcome, even with part-time work from home allowances. Flexible scheduling is a high priority for most employees, and remote work enables it. Higher productivity has been repeatedly cited by professionals who work remotely. Remote work can make an organization’s personnel more inclusive by enabling people with certain disabilities or chronic illness to participate.

We did a study, and the results were astounding.

Working from home increased on-PC project time by 2 hours and employees also spent 1.8 more hours on core activities at home than they did at their workplace.

From the beginning of human history until the late 19th century, most work was done at home — or at least within walking distance from home. Of course, that was before the age of electronic communications, but the tradition of home-based work is well-established. Today’s epidemic of COVID-19 may have the unintended effect of reviving that tradition.