New Ways of Working Network

A poll conducted by global research company Ipsos for Reuters News finds that one in five (17%) employees who can be connected online to their workplace report they ‘telecommute’ on a ‘frequent basis’: 7% say they ‘work every day from home which is remote or separate from their employers real office elsewhere’ while another 10% say they do so ‘on a very consistent and constant basis like evenings and weekends.’

Ipsos defined “telecommuting” as when “an employee uses a stationary or portable computer to do their office work from a location outside of their office – either from their home or another location – either regularly or from time to time.” Ipsos surveyed 11,383 online connected employees (ones who could do their work remotely) from 24 countries via online survey methodology between October 7 and 20, 2011.

Survey countries included Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Poland, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Turkey and the United States.

Non-western countries are more pro-telecommuting than western ones. Over 30% of workers surveyed in India, Mexico, and Indonesia telecommute regularly, and 10% work from home every day. Telecommuting was least popular in Hungary, Germany, Sweden, France, Italy and Canada (all reporting telecommuting rates of less than 10%. 

Other findings:

• Full-time telecommuting appeals to many. When asked if they would telecommute on a full-time basis if their employer offered it, a third of respondents (34%) answered they would be “very likely” to take that option. 
• Feeling good about productivity. Sixty-five percent felt telecommuting allowed them to be more productive because they gained more control over their work life.
• Social isolation still an issue. Sixty-two percent said telecommuting was “socially isolating” and that the lack of face time at the office would hurt chances for promotion.
• Telecommuting helps keep talented women in the workforce. Those most likely to ‘strongly agree’ that telecommuting will keep talented women in the workforce are from Turkey (64%), Russia (62%), Poland (53%), Hungary (51%) and Indonesia (50%). Respondents from Sweden (14%), Canada (22%), South Korea (22%), Great Britain (24%), the United States (26%) and Japan (27%) are least likely to agree.

Related resources:

Press release: The World of Work: Global Study of Online Employees Shows One in Five (17%) Work from Elsewhere, January 23, 2012

Survey report: Telecommuting -- Citizens in 24 Countries Assess Working Remotely for a Total Global Perspective. January 2012. Ipsos.

Many thanks to David Coleman for notifying us about this study.