A survey of 311 decision makers and office workers found the following about telecommuting: - The top reasons for wanting to telecommute were transportation savings, work-life balance, and green benefits. Younger generations cited work-life balance as most important while older workers prioritized transportation savings. - Telecommuters said their biggest challenges were IT issues like poor VPN connections and lack of training on data security. Employers also reported frequent connectivity problems among telecommuters. - While telecommuting was an important consideration for most workers when considering new jobs, they were willing to sacrifice some perks and benefits to maintain telecommuting options. Both workers and employers saw benefits like improved work-life balance and

1. 1
Views on Telecommuting
Staples conducted an online
survey in March 2014 of 137
decision makers and 174 office
workers at organizations of all
sizes across the U.S. and Canada.
The survey asked a series of
questions about telecommuting
programs, supplies and services
provided, reimbursement and
attitudes/behavior.
Interested in learning more about
how employers and their
employees view telecommuting?
The results might surprise you.

2. 2
Reasons for Telecommuting
Along with reporting a 32-minute commute on average, respondents
named transportation savings (69 percent) and green benefits (47
percent) as two of the top reasons they want to telecommute.

3. 3
Geographical Preferences
More companies in the Northeast (61 percent) and Canada (67 percent) allow a
BYOD (“Bring Your Own Device”) approach to telecommuting than those in the
West (29 percent).
Telecommuters in the Northeast list transportation savings as the biggest reason for
wanting to telecommute (71 percent), while the South (73 percent), Midwest (86
percent) and West (83 percent) all say work/life balance is number one.

4. Millennials v. Gen X v. Baby Boomers
4
56 percent of Millennials said “phone/mobile device” was their most indispensable
telecommuting device, compared to 28 percent of Gen X and 19 percent of
Boomers who each said “laptop” (62 percent and 66 percent respectively).
Baby Boomers’ top reason for wanting to telecommute is “transportations savings”
(77 percent) compared to Gen X and Millennials who each cited “work/life
balance” as their top reason (80 percent and 69 percent respectively).

5. 5
Telecommuting as a Recruiting Advantage
When asked if a telecommuting option is important when considering employment
with a new company – 71 percent of respondents said yes.

6. 6
Sacrifices to Keep Telecommuting
Workers are willing to reduce the following to keep the option to telecommute:
• Salary – 10 percent
• Vacation days/time off – 15 percent
• Other office perks – 67 percent

7. 7
Benefits of Telecommuting
Telecommuters say:
• 75 percent report a better work/life balance
• 69 percent report a less stressed day
Employers say:
• 65 percent report happier employees
• 33 percent report less absenteeism in the workforce

8. 8
Challenges of Telecommuting
Most workers named IT issues as their biggest challenge when working from home,
including:
• Only 25 percent of employees have been trained on data backup/security best
practices.
• 64 percent of employees name a poor VPN connection as their biggest tech
challenge when working from home.
• 58 percent of employers report that their telecommuters have connectivity
problems several times per month or more.

9. Need for Office Furniture
9
Only 10 percent of employers offer furniture services to new telecommuters.

10. 10
For More Information
and Business Interiors by Staples.
For information about the tools and services
Staples offers to combat the challenges of telecommuting
identified in the survey, visit Staples Technology Solutions