I get it.

We all love remote work and working from home, but not everyone understands their benefits.

As recent Stanford remote research confirmed, work from home has become more than just a trend—it's a transformation.

Remote's many benefits include increased productivity and performance, improved work-life balance, money saved from commuting and office space, and an expended talent pool that boosts DEIB.

To convey this to the boss, I compiled this list of benefits.

Increases productivity

• 35% of managers says that improved productivity is the primary benefit of remote work (FlexOS)
• 66% of managers saw increased productivity, and 48.5% said productivity has ‘significantly improved.’ Only 2% saw a decrease in productivity. (FlexOS)
• Managers said their own productivity has significantly improved (38%) and not decreased (96%) (FlexOS)
• 79% of managers believe that working remotely has made their team more productive (Owl Labs)
• A 2020 study by Stanford University found that remote workers experienced a 13% increase in performance compared to their office counterparts.
• Employees with location flexibility report 81% higher productivity scores. (Future Forum)
• ‍30% of respondents said that less or no time commuting enabled them to be more productive. (Gartner)
• ‍97% of government employees surveyed said that work-from-home flexibility has helped them be more productive. (The Hill)
• 98% of remote managers say they trust their teams to be productive on non-office days. Only one respondent (out of 200) said they didn't. (FlexOS)
• Remote work benefits go way beyond the occasional pyjama day. (FlexOS, 2023)
• Over 66,7% of employers report increased productivity among their remote workers. (Global Workplace Analytics):
  • Sun Microsystems’ experience suggests that employees spend 60% of the commuting time they save performing work for the company.
  • AT&T workers work five more hours at home than their office workers.
  • JD Edwards remote workers are 20-25% more productive than their office counterparts.
  • American Express remote workers produced 43% more than their office based counterparts.
  • Compaq increased productivity 15-45%.
  • Best Buy, British Telecom, Dow Chemical, and many others show that remote workers are 35-40% more productive.

Improves performance

• Your top performers, or "thriving stars," perform better remotely, indicating that work models affect satisfaction, commitment, well-being, and self-reported performance. (McKinsey)
• When companies offer remote work, employees feel more agency and autonomy, key drivers for human motivation. (Bersin)

Increases collaboration

• Once remote work technologies are in place, employees and contractors can work together without regard to logistics. This substantially increases collaboration options. (Global Workplace Analytics)
• Asynchronous communications allow people to communicate more efficiently. (Global Workplace Analytics)
• Web-based meetings are better-planned and more apt to stay on message. (Global Workplace Analytics)

Increases employee satisfaction

• 85% of workers said being able to work from home - at least some of the time - would make them happier. (2023 Owl Labs State of Hybrid Work Report)
• Employees value working from home as much as an 8% pay increase. In tech and finance, employees value remote work at up to 11%. (Stanford)
• People are sick of the rat-race, eager to take control of their lives, and desperate to find a balance between work and life, two-thirds of people want to work from home. (Global Workplace Analytics)
• 36% would choose remote work over a pay raise. (Global Workplace Analytics)
• A poll of 1,500 technology professionals revealed that 37% would take a pay cut of 10% if they could work from home. (Global Workplace Analytics)
• Gen Y’ers are more difficult to recruit (as reported by 56% of hiring managers) and to retain (as reported by 64% of hiring managers), but they are particularly attracted to flexible work arrangements (rating among benefits as an 8 on a 10 scale for impact on overall job satisfaction). (Global Workplace Analytics)
• Improved employee satisfaction and morale (60%) is reported by managers is the key benefit of remote work, alongside a reduction in commute time and stress (54%), improved work-life balance (53%), increased productivity (35%) and an expanded talent pool (30%.) (FlexOS)

Increases employee retention

• Remote work reduces quit rates by 35%. (Stanford)
• 95% of employers say remote work has a high impact on employee retention. (Global Workplace Analytics)
• 46% of companies that allow remote work say it has reduced attrition. (Global Workplace Analytics)
• 43% of employees would consider quitting if requested to be in-office full-time, almost three times as much as the hybrid and remote managers we surveyed in June. 23% wouldn't be happy but still return to the office. Only 34% of respondents would be happy to return to the office. (FlexOS, 2023)

Reduces unscheduled absences

• 78% of employees who call in sick, really aren’t. They do so because of family issues, personal needs, and stress. Unscheduled absences cost employers $1,800/employee/year; that adds up to $300 billion/year for U.S. companies. American Management Association, organizations that implemented a remote work program, realized a 63% reduction in unscheduled absences. (Global Workplace Analytics)

• Remote workers typically continue to work when they’re sick (without infecting others). (Global Workplace Analytics)
• Remote workers return to work more quickly following surgery or medical issues. (Global Workplace Analytics)
• Flexible hours allow remote workers to run errands or schedule appointments without losing a full day. (Global Workplace Analytics)
• Three-quarters of remote workers say they could continue to work in the event of a disaster compared with just 28% of non-remote workers. (Global Workplace Analytics)

Reduces staffing redundancies and offers quick scale-up and scale-down options

• Having access to a flexible at-home workforce allows call centers, airlines, and others to add and reduce staff quickly as needed. (Global Workplace Analytics)
• The need to overstaff ‘just in case’ is greatly reduced. (Global Workplace Analytics)
• 24/7 worldwide coverage is easier to staff with home-based help. (Global Workplace Analytics)

Cost savings for companies

• Organizations can save an average of $11,000 per year for every employee who works remotely half of the time. (Global Workplace Analytics)
• Companies in Australia can save $7,579 per employee per year on office space and lower wages by hiring remote talents in lower-cost labor markets. (B2BHQ)
• Nearly six out of ten employers identify cost savings as a significant benefit to telecommuting. (Global Workplace Analytics)
• Alpine Access Remote Agents close 30% more sales than traditional agents the year before. Customer complaints decreased by 90%. And turnover decreased by 88%. (Global Workplace Analytics)
• IBM slashed real estate costs by $50 million. (Global Workplace Analytics)
• McKesson saves $2 million a year. (Global Workplace Analytics)
• Nortel estimates that they save $100,000 per employee they don’t have to relocate. (Global Workplace Analytics)
• Average real estate savings with full-time telework is $10,000/employee/year. (Global Workplace Analytics)
• Partial remote work can offer real estate savings by instituting an office hoteling program. (Global Workplace Analytics)
• Dow Chemical and Nortel save over 30% on non-real estate costs. (Global Workplace Analytics)
• Sun Microsystems saves $68 million a year in real estate costs. (Global Workplace Analytics)
• Offers inexpensive compliance with ADA for disabled workers. (Global Workplace Analytics)
• Saves brick and mortar costs in industries where regulations or needs require local workers (e.g. healthcare, e-tail). (Global Workplace Analytics)

Cost savings for employees

• Employees save up to $51 for each day they're working from home rather than at the office. (2023 Owl Labs State of Hybrid Work Report)
• Remote workers save up to $12,750 annually when working from home. (FlexOS, 2023)

Increase In Parenthood

• In 2021, U.S. births increased by 71,000 and remained elevated through February 2023. A recent study by EIG suggests that this is attributable to more employees working from home during this period. For 13 years preceding the pandemic, domestic birth rates had been on a decline. One reason is because many Americans report having fewer kids than they would like. But with the increased flexibility that remote work provides, more individuals are able to raise a family while still enjoying a successful career. (Forbes, 2024)

Improves well-being

• 81% of workers said being able to work from home - at least some of the time - would lower their stress. (2023 Owl Labs State of Hybrid Work Report)
• 60% of employees noted improved physical well-being, with 79% exercising more, 78% feeling physically fit, and 77% feeling healthier. In terms of mental well-being, the study saw improved emotional well-being (59%), mental well-being (69%), and reduced stress levels (59%). (Cisco)
• 93% of working professionals stated that remote work positively impacts their mental health. (FlexJobs, 2023).
• 90% of employees say remote work has a positive impact on their physical health. (FlexJobs, 2023).
• People rank remote work as more important in a job than having a good boss, career advancement opportunities, and even salary. (FlexJobs, 2023)

Improves relationships

• 46% employees find it easier to build relationships with remote colleagues compared to in-office colleagues. (Owl Labs)
• 39% of emote employees said they feel connected to their manager, compared to 34% of office-bound workers. (Future Forum)
• 86% of ASEAN respondents observed improvement in relationships with family and 55% for friends. (Cisco)

Improves work-life balance

• 53% of managers say the major benefit of remote work is improved work-life balance. (FlexOS)
• 71% of those who work from home say it helps them balance their work and personal lives. 52% say it helps them a lot. (PEW)

Boosts company culture

• Remote workers are 57% more likely to say their company culture has improved over the past two years. They cite flexible work policies as the #1 factor behind that improvement. (Future Forum)
• 32% of remote employees said they feel connected to their company values, compared to 28% of office-bound workers. (Future Forum)

Improves DEI

• Remote work increase diversity and inclusion in race, gender, age, politics, and religion. (Stanford / Future Forum)
• Hiring sight unseen, as some all-virtual employers do, greatly reduces the potential for discrimination. It ensures that people are judged by what they do versus what they look like. (Global Workplace Analytics)
• Communications via focus groups, instant messaging, and the like equalizes personalities. No longer is the loudest voice the one that’s heard. (Global Workplace Analytics)

Diverse talent pool

• 30% of managers says that a diverse talent pool is the primary benefit of remote work (FlexOS)
• Remote work reduces geographic boundaries. (Global Workplace Analytics)
• Provides access to disabled workers. (Global Workplace Analytics)
• Offers an alternative that would have otherwise kept parents and senior caregivers out of the workforce. (Global Workplace Analytics)
• Offers geographic, socioeconomic, and cultural diversity that would not otherwise be possible. (Global Workplace Analytics)
• Over 70%of employees report that the ability telecommute will be somewhat to extremely important in choosing their next job. (Global Workplace Analytics)

More opportunities for Women

• Work-from-home creates more opportunities for mothers to join the workforce. For every 10% of WFH increase, 1% more mothers work. (University of Virginia, 2023)
• A record 70.4% of women with children under 5 are now in the workforce driven by flexible working models like remote work. (Hamilton Project)
• One in five women say flexibility has helped them stay in their job or avoid reducing their hours.
• Women working remotely feel less fatigued and burned out, and have more focused time to get their work done when they work remotely. (McKinsey / Lean In, 2023)
• Women who can work from home make more money than those in traditional office-based roles.  (University of Virginia, 2023)

No dreaded commute

• 54% of managers say the major benefit remote work is a reduction in commute time and stress. (FlexOS, 2023)
• 14% of Americans have changed to remote jobs to shorten the commute. (Global Workplace Analytics)
• Almost half of employees feel their commute is getting worse; 70% of them feel their managers should take the lead in helping them solve the problem. (Global Workplace Analytics)
• 92% of employees are concerned with the high cost of fuel and 80% of them specifically cite the cost of commuting to work. 73% feel their employers should take the lead in helping them reduce their commuting costs. (Global Workplace Analytics)

Prevent traffic accidents

• Once remote work technologies are in place, employees and contractors can work together without regard to logistics. This substantially increases collaboration options. (Global Workplace Analytics)

Better environment

• Working from home supports the environment, as commuting is the most significant cause of greenhouse gas emissions as 90% comes from personal vehicles. (Remote)
• Switching from working onsite to working from home can reduce up to 58% of work’s carbon footprint. (Cornell University and Microsoft)
• Sun Microsystems reported that its 24,000 U.S. employees participating in the Open Work Program avoided producing 32,000 metric tons of CO2 last year by driving less often to and from work. Office equipment energy consumption rate is twice that of home office equipment energy consumption. 70% of employees report they would see their companies in a more favorable light if they helped them reduce their carbon emissions, while 24% of employees say they’d take a pay cut of up to 10% to help the environment. (Global Workplace Analytics)
• According to a recent study, switching to a remote work setup can reduce an employee’s carbon footprint by up to 54%, and working from home two to four days a week can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 29%. Additionally, working remotely can help cut back on office-related expenses like electricity, heating, air conditioning, and water and paper waste. This contributes to a more eco-friendly lifestyle. (Forbes, 2024)
• Traffic jams rob the U.S. economy of $78 billion/year in productivity. Traffic jams idle away almost three billion gallons of gas and accounts for 26 million extra tons of greenhouse gases. Every 1% reduction in vehicles yields a three-fold decrease in congestion. (Global Workplace Analytics)

For more, see our 100+ Hybrid and Remote Work Statistics and Trends in 2023.