In a recent FlexJobs survey of more than 3,000 respondents interested in work flexibility, only 7 per cent of workers say the office, during traditional work hours, is their location of choice for optimum productivity on work-related projects. More than half (51 per cent) of people reported that their home is their preferred place to work. 8 per cent said they would choose a coffee shop, coworking space, library, or other place besides the office and another 8 per cent would choose the office but only outside regular hours. 26 per cent go to the office during regular hours to complete important work only because it’s not an option to go elsewhere.

According to the survey, 65 per cent of workers think they would be more productive telecommuting than working in a traditional workplace.  The top reasons people are, or would be, more productive working at home versus the office include fewer interruptions from colleagues (76 per cent), fewer distractions (75 per cent), and less frequent meetings (69 per cent). It’s estimated that up to six hours a day are lost on work interruptions, wasting 28 billion hours a year.

Other reasons people prefer their home office include a reduction in office politics (68 per cent), reduced stress from commuting (67 per cent), and a more comfortable office environment (51 per cent).

“When the overwhelming majority of workers say that traditional office spaces are not conducive to inspiring their highest levels of productivity, something is clearly broken–certainly with the actual workplace environment, but more importantly with the corporate culture that isn’t addressing this problem,” said Sara Sutton Fell, Founder and CEO of FlexJobs. “Employers who continue to blindly reinforce antiquated ways of working are going to find themselves with lower performing, less engaged, and less happy employees, whereas those who explore more flexible workplace arrangements such as telecommuting and flexible schedule options are taking advantage of a great competitive opportunity for their company.”

Additional key findings of the survey include:

Work Flexibility Benefits Diverse Audiences
Work flexibility appeals to diverse audiences and demographics for a wide variety of reasons.

• Respondents represent various demographics: working parents (39 per cent), freelancers (26 per cent), introverts (21 per cent), entrepreneurs (20 per cent), and caretakers (16 per cent)
• Other notable audiences include traveler/digital nomad (11 per cent), disabled or managing a chronic illness (11 per cent), student (9 per cent), environmentalist (4.4 per cent), and military spouse (2 per cent)
• Respondents also span generations: Gen Z (1 per cent), Millennial/Gen Y (22 per cent), Gen X (45 per cent), Baby Boomer (27 per cent) and the Silent Generation (5%)
• Work flexibility appeals to highly educated and experienced workers. 80 per cent of respondents have a college or graduate degree and 32 per cent are senior manager level or higher.
• 58 per cent of people work because they want to travel, up from 30 per cent from 2014. Almost as many people seeking work want to travel as save for retirement (65 per cent)
• Other important factors for working include wanting to pay for basic necessities (80 per cent), pay off debt (59 per cent), have a professional impact in the world (41 per cent), contribute to charity (28 per cent), and pay for continuing education for themselves (25 per cent).

Interest in Work Flexibility is High
Respondents place an extremely high value on work flexibility:

• Work flexibility (80 per cent) was ranked the most important factor when evaluating a job prospect.
• Work-life balance and salary tied as the second most important factor (74 per cent), ranked well above other factors such as health insurance (43 per cent), company reputation (41 per cent), and 401(k)/retirement benefits (31 per cent)
• 33 per cent have actually left a job because it did not have work flexibility
• 14 per cent have considered leaving a job because it did not have work flexibility
• 18 per cent are currently looking for a new job because of work flexibility issues

Employer Benefits
Employees report being willing to make bottom-line saving sacrifices in exchange for telecommuting options:

• 29 per cent of respondents said they would take a 10 per cent or 20 per cent cut in pay
• 22 per cent are willing to forfeit vacation time
• 15 per cent said they would give up employer-matching retirement contributions
• 81 per cent of respondents also say they would be more loyal to their employers if they had flexible work options

Improved Health
People surveyed believe flexible options would positively impact their health:

• 97 per cent say a job with flexibility would have a positive impact on their overall quality of life
• 79 per cent think it would make them more healthy
• 87 per cent think it would lower their stress

Reasons for Wanting Flexible Work
Since 2013, work-life balance (79 per cent), family (52 per cent), time savings (48 per cent) & commute stress (47 per cent) have been the top four reported reasons people seek flexible work.

• Time savings has outranked cost savings as a factor in seeking flexible work for the past four years
• 72 per cent of today’s flexible job seekers have had round-trip commutes over double the national average, which is approximately 50 minutes
• Of those who telecommuted in 2015, 22 per cent telecommuted more this year than last year
• Only 3 per cent of respondents worry a lot that a flexible work arrangement will hurt their career progression

Types of Flexible Work
The most in-demand type of flexible work arrangement continues to be 100 per cent telecommuting (86 per cent), but flexible schedule (73 per cent), partial telecommuting (49 per cent), part-time (48 per cent), alternative schedule (48 per cent), and freelance (44 per cent) are also in demand.