It’s official: Working from home makes you happier

It's seems like a no brainer, but now there's a study to prove what we've always known. Hallelujah

Sarah Jessica Parker in Sex And The City: The Movie
Sarah Jessica Parker in Sex And The City: The Movie
(Image credit: REX FEATURES)

It's seems like a no brainer, but now there's a study to prove what we've always known. Hallelujah

If you’ve ever experienced the joys of answering work emails from the comfort of your sofa rather than your desk, you’re probably won't be surprised to hear that employees who work from home are more merry than their office-bound counterparts.

But there’s more to the jubilation of remote workers than just being able to get sh*t done in your pyjamas.

How to work from home productively

A recent survey released by the employment survey startup, TINYpulse, revealed that people who work remotely also feel they’re more productive, more valued and enjoy more freedom and flexibility. Sounds about right.

On a scale of 1 to 10 (the latter being the happier), 509 full-time remote workers alongside data from a broader pool of 200,000 office employees, were asked to answer several questions related to their various working arrangements.

20 Instagram home office desks you’ll want to recreate right now When asked “How happy are you at work?” remote workers scored 8.10, compared to all workers’ score of 7.42 and in answer to the question, “How valued do you feel at work?” at-home employees scored 7.75, compared to all workers’ 6.69. This isn't to say remote positions don't have their drawbacks. One of the biggest gripes that remote workers had was being cheated out of relationships with co-workers (they gave a score of 6.69 compared to the average of 7.75) – but this social drawback was still outweighed by the multiple benefits remote workers acknowledged.

Perhaps the most impressive perk remote employees reported was increased productivity. According to the survey, 91% of workers felt they were able to get more work done out of the office than they would working in an office.

8 ways to make your home look beautiful on a budget

And the benefits don’t just end with employees. A study conducted by Nicholas Bloom and James Liang, cofounders of the Chinese travel website Ctrip, found that people working from home completed 13.5% more calls than the staff in the office did, and sick days for employees working from home plummeted.

So the next time you want to work from home, hit your boss with these facts!

Natalie Lukaitis