Home improvement site Porch asked more than 1,000 employees about working from home and how a remote work experience compares to an in-office one. The survey asked questions about job satisfaction, work-from-home perks, and at-home distractions to find out what working remotely is really like. (Honestly, it still sounds pretty dreamy.)
The Perks
Losing a daily commute came first for work-from-home professionals’ favorite work perk. Next was a flexible schedule, and the ability to stay home with children (or pets) came in third. Other top perks include having less supervision, the ability to focus better, getting more sleep, and not having to dress for work every day. (The survey also found that only 61 percent of work-from-home employees regularly brush their teeth before starting work—possibly a perk, depending on how you look at it.) Remote employees also admitted to doing personal tasks and projects while on the clock—35 percent said they’d run errands during work hours, 33 percent fessed up to hitting the gym during the workdays, and 76 percent have watched TV while working at least once. These non-work activities likely count as perks for employees, though they may harm productivity (and relationships with bosses if supervisors found out).
The Down-Side
Working from home isn’t all great, though: 38 percent of remote employees said they miss being around other people during the workday, and 51 percent said they felt lonely during the day. In terms of career trajectory, 23 reported feeling like they had missed out on growth opportunities, and 22 percent felt like their ability to communicate effectively had suffered by working remotely. Considering all the good and bad parts of working from home, most work-from-home employees still favored it over working in an office. Less than half, 48 percent, said they planned to work in an office again at some point in the future—so maybe working at home is all it’s cracked up to be, after all.
