Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and Twitter, asks his employees to work onsite. He thinks that a remote set-up tricked people into thinking they could slack off when working.
So, are remote workers lazy?
No, remote workers aren’t lazy. Considering that they don’t get exposed to daily stressors like the hassle of commuting and the traffic, it makes them even more motivated to work.
The following are some surveys and studies that further prove the fact that remote workers aren’t lazy:
#1. Glassdoor Survey
Glassdoor surveyed nearly 1,000 employees in 2020 when companies started adapting to the remote work setup. According to the respondents, 50% thought they’d be much more productive in the said working method.
However, there’s a clear difference between the preference of different age ranges. 68% of Millennials and Gen Z respondents were confident they could efficiently do their work remotely.
On the other hand, only 44% of older age groups thought they’d be able to do their tasks adeptly.
#2. Microsoft Survey
Microsoft surveyed over 20,000 people from different countries. They even analyzed their LinkedIn labor trends, as well as their Microsoft 365 productivity.
Their data showed that most employees were working productively, and their productivity signals in the Microsoft 365 software were constantly increasing.
Furthermore, Millennials and Gen Z respondents stated that they’d only work in the office if their friends and direct team members were there. Otherwise, they’d rather do their tasks in their homes because they only want to work onsite to connect with their co-workers.
#3. Prodoscore Research
Prodoscore’s research evaluated 30,000 U.S based Prodoscore users in 2020. Their study discovered there was a 47% increase in productivity when companies shifted to a remote work setup.
Chat messages, email activity, and telephone calls saw an increase in usage, while the use of document access and use of calendaring apps significantly dropped. It only means that companies conducted fewer meetings.
As we all know, conferences and assemblies can drain employees, leading to lower morale and motivation.
So, the data of Prodoscore revealed that employees don’t get to experience lower morale and motivation because of fewer meetings. As a result, they’re more productive and can finish more tasks.
#4. Airtasker Survey
In 2020, Airtasker surveyed over 1,000 full-time employees about their efficiency and daily tasks. The results showed that remote workers took 22 minutes of workday breaks compared to office workers, who only took 18 minutes.
However, remote workers were only unproductive for 27 minutes, while office workers lasted 37 minutes.
On top of that, 56% of office employees found ways to avoid working when their employers monitored their screen time and mouse movement. Only 39% of remote workers engaged in this activity.
Lastly, remote workers worked 21.9 days per month, compared to office workers who only worked for 20.5 days.
Conclusion
If you’re wondering: are remote workers lazy? Well, they’re not.
Several studies and surveys proved that remote workers are likely to become more productive when they’re working at home.
On top of that, their lack of exposure to daily stressors makes them motivated. As a result, they can render more working hours than a person in the office would.
