Are we more productive in the office, or out of the office?

According to a new survey of 1,000 Americans by uSamp, 65 percent of companies allow remote work, and an even higher percentage of big companies take advantage of home and virtual offices. But what does that do to productivity? (Infographic)

 

 

If you ask workers, there’s no question about the answer: 67 percent feel more productive when working remotely, and a slightly higher percentage says they feel “liberated” when working from home. But there are some who prefer to go into the office. Some of us — 23 percent — prefer to have face-to-face meetings. And a similar percentage report being more productive in their offices than at home.

And some combine the benefits of both.

David Kaminsky, the chief financial officer of video-conferencing software maker Vidyo, told me this week he prefers meeting by video — even when both participants are actually in the same office.

“My CEO sits right next door, and many times we’ll meet just via video,” he said with a laugh.

That’s something that might not be for everyone. And even in the 69 percent of large companies that allow employees to work remotely, only slightly less than a third of workers actually take advantage of the possibility. A big chunk of us, 47 percent, just go into the office every day because that’s what’s expected of us … even if the company officially allows home office and other working arrangements.

But the advantages of working remotely are too visible to ignore, uSamp CEO Matt Dusig says:

“With the advances in technology, it is easier than ever for employees to perform their jobs at a high level while working remotely.”

Which isn’t to say there aren’t advantages and benefits of both, as Yahoo’s Marissa Mayer, who famously banned working from home, recently said.

“People are more productive when they’re alone,” she said at the conference, “But they’re more collaborative and innovative when they’re together. Some of the best ideas come from pulling two different ideas together.”

Which, I suppose, means there’s a place and a time for everything.

More data on virtual offices in visual form, here:

Photo credit: Inc.

Via Venture Beat