Survey Shows Employees are Happier and Healthier Working from Home

A recent survey from Staples Advantage found that telecommuters feel and work better when working from home, and 86 percent of telecommuters say they are more productive in their home office. While not surveying home-based online retailers, the survey does reveal benefits home-based workers report experiencing.

Staples Advantage conducted the online survey with responses from more than 140 telecommuters at companies of various sizes and across industries. The survey, conducted in May 2011, asked respondents, who work at least one day per week from home, about their home office set-up, furniture and technology, as well as their overall experiences telecommuting.

Survey respondents said they were:

• Happier and healthier: When asked to draw comparisons, telecommuters say their stress levels have dropped 25 percent on average since working from home. Seventy-three percent even say they eat healthier when working from home.
• More loyal: Without the trek to the office - on average, a 75-mile round-trip for respondents - 76 percent of telecommuters are more willing to put in extra time on work and say they are more loyal to their company since telecommuting.
• Better balanced: More than 80 percent say they now maintain a better work-life balance.

Staples Advantage said the number of telecommuters is expected to reach 63 million in the United States by 2016, according to a March 2009 report, "U.S. Telecommuting Forecast, 2009 to 2016," from Forrester Research.