Our Annual Super Survey shows that 66% of workers think they would be more productive working remotely! Check out the companies hiring now for remote work! Save 2017 Annual Survey Finds Workers Are More Productive at Home, And More By Brie Weiler Reynolds , Career Development Manager Pin 4 Share 358 Email 510 Shares

If you’re like the majority of workers, the office is not the place where you do your most productive work. According to FlexJobs’ sixth annual survey of more than 5,500 respondents, 66% of professionals think they would be more productive working remotely than in a traditional office. And there’s much more to learn from the survey results!

To help the many people seeking remote work options, FlexJobs has also identified 25 companies that have posted the most remote job openings recently. Scroll down for the complete results of our Super Survey and click here for the list of companies, with examples of currently available remote jobs.

FlexJobs also published a breakdown of data from working parents (those with children 18 or younger at home) who took the 6th Annual Work Flex Super Survey. Check it out here: “Working Parents in 2017: What They Want at Work.”

Full Results from FlexJobs’ 6th Annual Super Survey

Who Wants Flexible Work Options

We often assume that flexible work appeals to a wide variety of professionals for different reasons, but this survey really shows how true that is.

Survey respondents identified themselves as:

Working parents (35%)

Freelancers (26%)

Introverts (23%)

Entrepreneurs (21%)

People living in rural areas (15%)

Stay-at-home moms (14%)

People with chronic physical or mental illness (14%)

Digital nomads (12%)

Caregivers (9%)

Students (9%)

Retirees (8%)

Super commuters (8%)

Environmentalists (6%)

Military spouses (2%)

Stay-at-home dads (2%)

Most survey respondents were baby boomers and gen X, but all generations were represented to varying degrees:

Gen Z (1%)

Millennial or gen Y (21%)

Gen X (41%)

Baby boomer (31%)

Silent generation (6%)

Why Professionals Seek Flexible Work Options

Each year, we ask people to choose the factors that make them want a job with a flexible work option. Since 2013, work-life balance (78%), family (49%), time savings (46%), and commute stress (45%) have been the top four reported reasons people seek flexible work.

In fact, time savings and commute stress may be related: 71% said they have had round-trip commutes of over an hour. Other highly ranked factors include avoiding office politics and distractions (39%) and travel (30%).

People interested in work flexibility evaluate job prospects with that in mind. Respondents said the “most important factors” considered when they evaluate a job prospect are:

Work-life balance (72%)

Flexible schedule and salary (tie) (69%)

Telecommuting (60%)

Meaningful work (57%)

Work schedule (48%)

Location (45%)

Company reputation (40%)

Health insurance (37%)

Professional challenge (36%)

Company culture (34%)

Career progression (30%)

401(k)/retirement benefits and vacation time (tie) (29%)

Skills training and education options (28%)

Amount of travel required (25%)

How a Lack of Flexibility Affects People’s Job Choices, Health

Of survey respondents, 62% have left or considered leaving a job because it did not have work flexibility:

Yes, I have left a job. (32%)

Yes, I am currently looking for a new job. (16%)

Yes, I have considered leaving a job. (14%)

And this makes sense when looking at how respondents said having a flexible job would affect their health and quality of life.

Quality of life: 45% said a job with flexibility would have a huge improvement on their overall quality of life and 52% said it would have a positive impact.

45% said a job with flexibility would have a huge improvement on their overall quality of life and 52% said it would have a positive impact. Health: 78% of people said having a flexible job would allow them to be healthier (eat better, exercise more, etc.) and 86% said they’d be less stressed.

Most Desired Types of Flexible Work

Telecommuting remains the most popular form of flexible work, and those who’ve already worked remotely are increasing the amount of time they spend working from home. Of those who telecommuted in 2016, 23% telecommuted more this year than last year.

When asked to choose which types of flexibility they’re most interested, survey respondents said:

Telecommuting 100% of the time (81%)

Flexible schedule (70%)

Telecommuting some of the time (46%)

Part-time schedule (46%)

Alternative schedule (44%)

Freelance contract (39%)

How Remote Work Helps Productivity

Asked whether they would be more productive working remotely or in a traditional office space, respondents said:

More productive in a home office (66%)

Probably about the same productivity (32%)

Less productive in a home office (2%)

That’s understandable when you consider their answers to this question:

“Where do you go when you really need to get something done for work?”

My home or my home office (52%)

The office during regular office hours, because it’s not an option to leave (25%)

The office during regular office hours, because it’s where I’m most productive (7%)

The office before/after regular office hours (8%)

A library, coffee shop, or coworking space (6%)

The top reasons respondents said they would be, or are, more productive working remotely are:

Fewer interruptions from colleagues (76%)

Fewer distractions (76%)

Reduced stress from commuting (70%)

Minimal office politics (69%)

Quieter noise level (62%)

More comfortable clothes (54%)

More personalized office environment (51%)

Less frequent meetings (46%)

More efficient meetings (31%)

Why People Work

We wanted to learn about why people work—their needs and motivations.

We found that the majority of people have mixed reasons for working:

I both need and want to work. (64%)

I need to work. (25%)

I want to work. (11%)

The specific reasons respondents said they work:

Pay for basic necessities (rent or mortgage, groceries, utilities, etc.) (76%)

Save for retirement (61%)

Want to travel (56%)

Pay off debt (54%)

Enjoy working (54%)

Pay for “luxury” items for yourself or your loved ones (meaning not basic necessities) (43%)

Passionate about success in my career (39%)

Want to have a professional impact in the world (38%)

Pay for health-related issues for myself or a loved one (37%)

Contribute to charity (27%)

Pay for other child-related costs (child care, extracurriculars, etc.) (25%)

Save for my kids’ education (25%)

Pay for my kids’ education (private school or college) (24%)

Pay for continuing education for myself (23%)

Support my parents (15%)

What This Means for Employers

Flexible work options are often seen as a perk for the workers only, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Employers benefit greatly from offering flexible work options in these ways according to survey respondents:

Employee retention: 79% of respondents said they would be more loyal to their employers if they had flexible work options.

79% of respondents said they would be more loyal to their employers if they had flexible work options. Working relationships: 73% think remote work is conducive to having strong work relationships.

73% think remote work is conducive to having strong work relationships. Reducing expenses: 29% of respondents said they would take a 10% or 20% cut in pay. 22% are willing to forfeit vacation time. 19% said they would give up employer-matching retirement contributions.

29% of respondents said they would take a 10% or 20% cut in pay. 22% are willing to forfeit vacation time. 19% said they would give up employer-matching retirement contributions. Education and experience: Work flexibility appeals to highly educated and experienced workers. 79% of respondents have at least a college degree and 31% are senior manager level or higher.

Work flexibility appeals to highly educated and experienced workers. 79% of respondents have at least a college degree and 31% are senior manager level or higher. Hiring strategy: 97% of respondents are interested in being a flexible worker in the long-term. Offering flexible work options can help attract well-educated professionals with solid experience who come from diverse backgrounds.

Demographic Breakdown of the 5,551 Respondents

Age: 20-29 (11%), 30-49 (50%), 50-59 (26%), 60+ (13%)

20-29 (11%), 30-49 (50%), 50-59 (26%), 60+ (13%) Education: high school degree or equivalent (5%), some college but no degree (16%), associate or bachelor’s degree (49%), graduate degree (30%)

high school degree or equivalent (5%), some college but no degree (16%), associate or bachelor’s degree (49%), graduate degree (30%) Career level: entry-level (11%), experienced (58%), manager or senior level manager (31%)

Companies Recently Hiring for Remote Jobs

To help job seekers interested in finding jobs where they can work from home, FlexJobs has identified the top 25 companies recently hiring for remote jobs. This list is based on an analysis of over 40,000 companies and looks specifically at their remote job posting histories in FlexJobs’ database between May 1 and July 31, 2017. Check out the list of the top 25 companies here.

Photo Credit: bigstockphoto.com

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