Survey Finds Decline in Teleworkers

June 23, 2011 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - A recent survey from WorldatWork found that the total number of people who worked from home or another remote location for an entire day at least once a month has declined. 

A press release said this marks the first time since the organization began measuring telework in 2003 that there has been such a decline. The teleworking population in 2010 was 26.2 million, representing nearly 20% of the U.S. adult working population, down from 33.7 million in 2008.  

While the total number of teleworkers decreased, the percentage of people who telework more often than once per month has increased. In 2010, 84% of teleworkers did so one day per week or more, up from 72% in 2008.  

In a new question of the employee survey, respondents were asked, “In your organization, is being allowed to work remotely considered more of a right or a reward?” Nearly one in three viewed it as a reward or employee benefit. 

Survey findings also provide a demographic profile of the typical teleworker: a 40-year-old, male college graduate who works from home. “Home” continued to be the most common location for teleworking in 2010, while “satellite center,” “hotel,” and “while on vacation” trended upward from 2006 to 2008 to 2010.  

 

Sara Kelly 

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