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What is the real productivity impact of remote work?
Research and advisory services firm Valoir has conducted a broad survey of people working from home to better understand the impact of remote work and have published their findings in a May 2020 report [pdf].
Here are the key findings:
Remote work has had only a small negative impact on productivity – an average reduction of 1 percent. Those working from home with children reported a slightly larger decrease in productivity of 2 percent. The largest decrease in productivity was reported by those working alone (without other adults or children in the home), who saw an average decrease in productivity of 3 percent.
The average work day is 9.75 hours, with an average start time of 8:15am and an average end time of 6pm. Most people are working during normal work hours, with fewer than 10 percent starting before 7am or extending their workday beyond 7 pm.
The biggest distraction from working at home is social media. Nearly one third of respondents – even many of those with children – reported social media was their biggest distraction, devoting nearly two hours to it.
Most people believe their company is doing a good job supporting remote work. Four out of five workers gave their company a grade of A or B, and fewer than 5 percent gave their company a failing grade.
Job security is the number one worry. More than one-third of workers say concerns about their company’s viability or their job security is their primary concern — far ahead of illness of themselves, a family member, or loved one.