More employees are working from home these days, but fewer are doing it on a full-time basis, according to new research.
The number of U.S. employees, contractors and business owners who worked remotely at least one day per month increased 17% in the past two years, from approximately 28.7 million in 2006 to 33.7 million in 2008, according to global HR association WorldatWork.
But there has been a shift away from full-time telework to occasional telework. The number of employee teleworkers who work remotely at least once a month grew, while the number of those who work remotely almost every day decreased slightly, WorldatWork found in its survey brief, “Telework Trendlines 2009.”
Also on the decline? Working in coffee shops and parks. Home is the most common location for remote work (cited by 87% of teleworkers), followed by a customer’s place of business (41%) and car (37%). Restaurants, libraries and parks are becoming less common locations for telecommuting, WorldatWork says.
The Dieringer Research Group surveyed 1,002 adults between Nov. 6 and Dec. 2, 2008, for WorldatWork’s Trendlines report. A full copy of the report is available here.
