Work From Home Statistics & Trends In 2022 | Otter.ai
From foraging for plants and animals for food close to the dwelling facilities to working from home to save gasoline during the oil crisis in the 1970s, remote working has been here for 1.4 million years.
It has revolutionized the trend of flexible work arrangements over the years with the rise of freelancing and the need to create a work-life balance.
But in 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic accelerated the trends that were already in action when it comes to working from home policies.
Teleconferencing and remote work technologies have advanced so much that businesses these days can thrive only on remote teams with relative ease. As a result, it has become commonplace for many organizations to allow their staff to work from home, several times a week.
In fact, even tech giants like Google implemented the work from home policy until September 2021. And that’s not even the most surprising news because Twitter and Slack told their employees that they never have to return to work!
From these big tech companies to small online stores, organizations of all sizes and across all industries have had to let their employees practice isolation and go into quarantine. Work-from-home policies ensure that business goes on as usual even in the middle of a raging pandemic.
As we all get used to this new normal, many can’t help but wonder what this year’s work-from-home movements can tell us about the future.
We have collected all the 2022’s leading working from home stats and trends for you right here.How Many People Work Remotely?
It seems like more and more people are now working from home. Here’s what the stats say:4.7 million people were already working from home before the pandemic forced businesses to shift to remote work. (FlexJobs)The remote working trend grew by 44% in the last five years. (FlexJobs)During the coronavirus pandemic, 50% of the organizations reported that over 81% of their employees work remotely. (Gartner)As compared to 30% of employees working remotely part of the time before the pandemic, 41% of employees chose to work remotely some of the time. (Gartner)A survey of 127 business leaders from HR, Legal and Compliance, and Finance departments reported that 82% of them permitted employees to work from home for some time as daily life resumed. (Gartner)46% of firms are permanently allowing remote work. (Buffer)38% of firms are unsure about allowing work from home after the pandemic. (Buffer)16% of organizations will not provide work-from-home opportunities after the pandemic. (Buffer)Approximately 70% of the workers in the U.S. are working from home due to the COVID-19 pandemic (Owl Labs)16% of firms around the world have now extended fully remote operations. (Owl Labs)15% of remote workers fall in the healthcare sector. (Owl Labs)10% of employees working from home operate in the technology division. (Owl Labs)9% of employees working from home fall work in financial services. (Owl Labs)By 2028, 73% of all teams will include employees working from home (Upwork)22% of all Americans (36.2 million individuals) will be working from home by 2025. (Upwork)
Statistics on working from home in 2020Top Reasons Why Employees Work Remotely
Remote working lets people experience blended work and life schedules, explaining why most will continue working remotely even after the pandemic. Following are some working from home statistics that disclose why people choose to continue with remote work.Remote workers are the happiest when they spend over 76% of their time working from home. (Buffer)A survey suggests that 91% of employees choose remote work as it offers a work-life balance (Owl Labs).79% of the employees experienced increased productivity and focus while working from home (Owl Labs).It was estimated that employees saved between $2,500 and $4,000 per year when they worked from home for half of the time. (Global Workplace Analytics)32% of people think that the biggest benefit of remote work is that it allows them to have a flexible schedule. (Buffer)83% of disabled respondents in a survey stated that remote work would enable them to be a valuable part of the workforce and contribute to the organization. (GitLab)38% of the research participants viewed the lack of commute as the top benefit of working from home. (GitLab)34% of respondents stated that remote working allowed them to focus on their families without giving up on their careers. (GitLab)86% of the respondents in a survey think that working from home has considerably reduced their stress levels and positively impacted their health. (Owl Labs)Challenges Of Working From Home
In 2022, remote work has fulfilled the long-term wish of some employees who wanted a more flexible work schedule. But for some employees, it has been a challenging endeavor.
Let’s go through some work from home statistics to determine the biggest challenges remote workers face this year.Research suggests that 47% of the employees find it challenging to work from home due to at-home distractions. (Statista)20% of remote workers struggle with communication and collaboration with their team. (Buffer)18% of the respondents find it challenging to unplug after working from home. (Buffer)While working from home, 35% of employees feel isolated and lonely as they cannot interact with their colleagues. (Statista)Remote workers struggle the most with the hybrid meetings; 67% found interruptions during meeting distracting, while 59% had I.T. issues during the remote sessions. (Owl Labs)29% of remote workers report a lack of motivation, while 24% think that remote work hinders their network and career development. (Statista)62% of the remote workers want their employers to offer better tech to help them stay connected with the office. (MerchantSavvy)69% of employees working from home experience symptoms of burnout. (Monster.com)22% of employees working from home find it difficult to unplug after completing their work tasks. (Buffer)19% of employees working from home experience feelings of loneliness. (Buffer)17% of employees working from home struggle with effective communication (Buffer).12% of employees working from home struggle to find motivation (Buffer).7% of employees working from home operate in different time zone as their co-workers (Buffer).26% of employees working from home struggled with distractions due to having children at home. (Owl Labs)26% of employees working from home disliked remote work due to an increase in the number of meetings. (Owl Labs)26% of employees working from did not enjoy remote work due to the lack of experience and preparation. (Owl Labs)The Effect Of Work from Home On Productivity
Productivity and efficiency remain the top concerns of businesses whenever they plan to develop policies regarding work from home.
Here are some remote working statistics that might surprise you:13% of the employees are more productive while working from home, and it has been observed that they take fewer leaves or days off. (MerchantSavvy)It has been estimated that the U.S. alone can save $4.5 billion in savings per year due to the increase in productivity and a decrease in overhead costs due to remote working. (MerchantSavvy)91% of the participants state that flexible work schedules increase their morale. (FlexJobs)85% of businesses report that increased flexibility in the employees’ work schedules has led to increased productivity. (FlexJobs)45% of the respondents in a study believe that they got more done while working from home. (Robert Walters)29% of the employees got more work by utilizing the commute time that enhanced their productivity. (Robert Walters)Due to the unexpected shift to remote work, 70% of managers report that working from home improved or maintained their team’s performance. (Global Workplace Analytics)
Working from home stats 2020Positions Held By Remote Workers
