Stanford Study: At-Home Workers Are More Productive

What’s the Latest Development?

Employees are more productive while working at home, and more productive individuals prefer their at-home offices to on-sight locations, concludes a study of a travel agency in Shanghai, China, conducted by researchers at Stanford University. The company, Ctrip, has 13,000 employees and found a 12 percent increase in productivity for their at-home workers. “Of that increase, 8.5 percent came from working more hours (due to shorter breaks and fewer sick days) and 3.5 percent came from more performance per minute. The researchers speculate this was due to quieter working conditions.”

What’s the Big Idea?

At-home work may prove a mutually beneficial solution for companies looking to cut costs on renting office space and for employees who want more comfortable and convenient working conditions. The trend is on the rise: “If you’re a U.S. worker, there’s a 10 percent chance that you work from home at least once a week, and a 4.3 percent chance that you work from home most of the time.” And because people who are naturally more productive prefer to work at home, providing employees with home-based offices may help companies attract better workers.

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