Home and Office - Workers Want It All

While only 23 percent of U.S. employees work from home or are given that option,
most of the work force (59 percent) believes that telecommuting at least part-time is
the ideal work situation. This includes the 38 percent who think a mix of coming into
the office and working from home is preferable and the 21 percent who say working
at home is the best. These findings come from a new Hudson survey on worker
productivity.

Even among workers who are not given the choice, half report that working away
from the office at least sometimes would be their preference. But those who have the
option of clocking in from home take advantage of it when they can - 38 percent work
from home a minimum of once a week. Just 20 percent rarely or never choose this
option.

"As competition for talent heats up, employers will be forced to consider alternative
retention tactics such as permitting telecommuting," according to Peg Buchenroth,
managing director, compensation and benefits, Hudson Highland Group. "While this
is not feasible in all situations, most employees want the flexibility to be able to get
work done without going into the office at least every once in a while."

Despite technologies that allow employees to put in time while heading to and from
work, three-quarters (73 percent) rarely or never get work done during their
commute. However, only 57 percent of entrepreneurs say the same. This group is
twice more likely than all workers to accomplish work-related tasks at least once a
week during their commute (22 percent compared to 11 percent).

Nevertheless, workers realize the value of in-person communication. A resounding
83 percent of the work force indicates that face-to-face meetings are the most
productive. Only 10 percent of employees believe that virtual meetings (held over the
telephone or online) get more done. When given the choice of just phone or email for
an important conversation, most workers (59 percent) choose telephone; 26 percent
prefer electronic communication.

Other survey findings include:

- Managers are more likely than non-managers to have the option of
telecommuting (20 percent compared to 10 percent).
- While 29 percent of all employees work from home more than once a week,
the figure rises to 40 percent among workers with children at home.
- Nearly two in five (37 percent) entrepreneurs consider always working
from home to be the ideal work situation.

The Hudson productivity survey is based on a national poll of 1,911 U.S. workers
conducted July 6-10, 2006 and was compiled by Rasmussen Reports, LLC, an
independent research firm. The margin of sampling error for a survey based on this number of interviews is approximately +/-2 percent with a 95 percent level of confidence.

Hudson, one of the world's leading professional staffing, outsourcing and talent
management solutions providers, also publishes the Hudson Employment Index(SM),
a monthly measure of the U.S. work force's confidence in the employment market.
The next Hudson Employment Index will be released on August 2.