Those employees who work at home at least three days a week are more satisfied with their jobs than their colleagues working at a company’s job site.
A study from the University of Wisconsin found that telecommuters reported less friction between an their work life and their personal life. In addition, researchers found that remote workers reported that they didn’t see a lack of communication between them and their supervisors at the company’s office as an issue (one that’s often brought up by management as a reason not to offer telecommuting arrangements). While they reported that they didn’t share news as often as those office-bound workers, telecommuters said they had access to pertinent information whenever they needed it.
Telecommuters gave researchers several reasons why they were more satisfied with their jobs. Fewer distractions was mentioned often, as was the fact that the remote workers were less “exposed” to the things that often cause great stress in a workplace: office politics and frequent meetings, for example.
If your organization can’t or won’t begin some form of telecommuting arrangements, the study some takeaways you may find useful: the more a company can limit unnecessary personal interaction (such as superfluous meetings, mass e-mails, etc.) the better. Researchers also suggested that managers set aside time periods where people can truly work without interruption. The study also suggested companies could create a central spot where employees can to access important information (a company intranet, for example).
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