We ran a survey earlier this year that found 51% of workers believe they are more productive working from home than in the office, and since this trend has been confirmed by many additional studies, it makes sense that a percentage of remote workers want to stay that way for the foreseeable future.
PwC survey also found that 72% of those workers surveyed would like to continue working from home for at least 2 days a week even when they can go back to the office full time. 32% said they would like to work from home permanently.
It can even increase productivity and employee morale to work remotely. Working from home allows employees to enjoy more flexibility since they can often work whenever they are more creative. The advantage of work-life balance is what motivates many employees to join the remote workforce.
A survey by mental health research website Tracking Happiness found that the ability to work remotely is positively correlated with employee happiness. Fully remote workers reported a happiness level roughly 20% higher than those who worked in the office 100% of the time.
Working from home is now a widespread – and highly normalised – practice in Australia. According to ABS surveys conducted in April 2022, nearly half (46%) of all Australian employees now work from home to some degree.
Remote working ability really makes people happier
While 81% of respondents said the opportunity to work from home would make them feel more equipped to deal with work/life conflicts. Remote workers are 22% happier with their jobs than on-site workers.
Study shows Australians happy working from home, men and women are looking to upskill, but young people feeling the pinch. Almost 70% of Australians who have been working from home because of COVID-19 would like to continue doing so according to the latest Taking The Pulse of the Nation survey.
Feeling Lonely and Isolated
Moreover, working from home may mean that some people don't speak to anyone the whole day, and studies show that this lack of interaction can affect our physical and mental health. According to researchers, when we interact with others, we feel calmer.
Eliminate Workspace Stressors
In contrast, working remotely generally allows for a quieter, more subdued atmosphere, reducing the likelihood of sensory overload and the associated feelings of stress and anxiety.
'I miss catching up with people'
While many people love the flexibility that remote work brings, for others the loss of an office environment and the social contact it provides can be a major blow. “I would never apply for a home or remote-working role,” says Abi Smith, business manager at food producer Spice Kitchen.
Quiet quitting is a softer approach than outright leaving a job. The term isn't literal but a play on words. Rather than workers quitting jobs, they are quitting the idea of going above and beyond. Unhappy with some aspect of their current company or role, they choose only to complete the bare minimum.
Employees often encounter bigger interruptions, miss more lunch hours, and put in longer days than they ever did back at the office. On average, remote workers clocked a whopping 16.8 more days a year than their office colleagues, which could be why almost a third of remote workers requested a mental health day.
On average, those who worked at home did so for 5.4 hours on days they worked, and those who worked at their workplace did so for 7.9 hours. (See table 6.) from 38 percent in 2021 to 34 percent in 2022.
27% of U.S. employees work remotely, as of 2023. There are expected to be 36.2 million American employees working remotely by 2025. 40% of workers believe that they've been more productive while working at home during the pandemic, as opposed to the office. 16% of U.S. companies are fully remote.
Now, research from Integrated Benefits Institute (IBI) shows that working from home may increase depression and anxiety.
Productivity and organization
It's difficult to stick to a schedule and get all the tasks done. But this gets even harder for remote workers. Managing your to-dos can be challenging when you work from home and have such a flexible routine and distractions. An organized schedule is critical to staying productive.
Remote work burnout statistics show that 48% of remote employees feel that they have no emotional support from their employers. Without personal interaction with managers and co-workers, it's difficult for them to know there's anything wrong or that you need support.
Fully remote (40 percent) and hybrid work (38 percent) are associated with an increased likelihood of anxiety and depression symptoms compared to in-person work (35 percent), according to an analysis by the Integrated Benefits Institute (IBI), an Oakland, Calif. -based nonprofit research organization.
The anxiety, stress, and loneliness of working from home can lead to depression or make it worse. Depression isn't just feeling down.
About a third (34%) of those who are currently working from home most of the time say, if they had the choice, they'd like to work from home all the time. And among those who are working from home some of the time, half say they'd like to do so all (18%) or most (32%) of the time.
An analysis of the jobs held by the resident population in Australia in 2021 shows the three most popular occupations were: Professionals (2,886,920 people or 24.0%) Managers (1,645,776 people or 13.7%) Technicians and Trades Workers (1,554,315 people or 12.9%)
The 20 most common jobs in Australia have been revealed, with four industries dominating the workforce. Information from the 2021 census, released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) today, found that health care, retail, construction and education employed the most people across Australia.
A top finding was that people who have the opportunity to work remotely at least monthly are 24% more likely to feel happy and productive in their roles. The top reason that global respondents gave for working remotely is to achieve increased productivity and better focus.