If you think working remotely (working from home or WFH) is not a top hiring trend within organizations, think again. In fact, American employees are working remotely for longer chunks of time, according to Gallup‘s “State of the American Workplace.”

The amount of workers who spent one day or less a week working remotely diminished between 2012 and 2016, decreasing from 34% to 25%. By contrast, the number of workers who reported working four or five days a week expanded to 31%, up from 24%. What do workers think about this growing trend in the workforce? Some workers feel that they are more productive when working from home, because it can decrease stress while increasing productivity.

The amount of workers who spent one day or less a week working remotely diminished between 2012 and 2016, decreasing from 34% to 25%.

What’s more, Gallup consistently finds that remote jobs and flexible scheduling opportunities play a major role in an employee’s decision to accept or exit a job.

Increasing a Company’s Bottom Line

Another upside for companies to give the okay for workers to login from home, is that it can trim costs within their firm. One example of how organizations are using cost-saving measures is by minimizing real estate. As many workers work from home, companies are shifting to hybrid and open floor plans, allowing more people to work in less space.

A study conducted by Vodafone, “Flexible: Friend or Foe?”, revealed that 75% of 8,000 companies surveyed across the globe have implemented policies allowing their employees to use technology to work remotely or vary their work hours.

Of importance, 83% of respondents reported an improvement in productivity, 61% of respondents said there was an uptick in their company’s profits, and 58% of respondents believed that flexible working policies had a positive impact on their organization’s reputation.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Not all fields are quick to make working from home a mainstay within their organization, as seen in the fields of engineering, science, architecture, community and social services, training, library and education.

Respondents Provide Crucial Insight

Vodafone’s surveyed respondents without flexible working policies, however, believe that 30% of profits would increase if new policies were adopted, 55% of employers without flexible working policies currently in place agreed that employee morale would improve if they were to be introduced and 44% of respondents believe that productivity would improve under the new working policies.

How do you feel about working from home? Answer the poll question below, to see how your thoughts compare to others’.

Web Links:

http://www.gallup.com/reports/199961/state-american-workplace-report-2017.aspx?utm_source=genericbutton&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=sharing;

https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/02/15/us/remote-workers-work-from-home.html;

https://www.monster.com/career-advice/article/the-benefits-of-working-from-home;

http://www.inc.com/john-rampton/15-companies-where-you-can-work-in-your-pajamas.html;

https://www.shrm.org/ResourcesAndTools/hr-topics/technology/Pages/Study-Profits-Rise-with-Flexible-Work.aspx;

https://www.vodafone.com/content/index/media/vodafone-group-releases/2016/flexible-working-survey.html#.

-Kimberly Williams