77% of Employees State They are More Productive and Less Stressed Working From Home

| By TMA World

Employees Feel Less Stressed When Working From Home Compared to Working in Open Plan Offices

According to research by Canada Life Group Insurance, 30% are less productive at work due to high workloads and pressure to perform, a statistic that equates to an estimated 9.7 million people if applied to the UK as a whole.

Flexible Working Aids Productivity

The survey found that only 17% of those who work from home are regularly affected by workplace stress compared to 37% of those working in cubicles and 32% of those who work in open-plan offices.

77% of employees felt flexible working aided productivity, while a quarter of staff said they felt like their bosses did not care about their health or wellbeing.

“It is important to keep in mind that not everybody operates in the same way and being flexible with your staff can often mean creating a better working environment and increased engagement,” said Paul Avis, marketing director of Canada Life Group Insurance. “For example, flexible working not only has the benefit of improving work-life balance but can also have a positive influence on overall employee health. People want to give their best, but we are all leading increasingly busy and ‘always-on’ lives.”

Nearly half of employees working from home said they weren’t anxious or stressed about work compared to less than a fifth of those who work in a cubicle and 27% who work in an open plan office.

Health Benefits of Working Flexibly

Meanwhile, the report also explored the benefits of increased engagement with health and wellbeing within the workplace. A quarter of employees said that helpful perks would have a positive impact when it comes to productivity, while 45% complained that their employers had no idea how to improve workplace productivity.

Only 16% received information from employer about how to improve their health and over a half said their employer does not provide any advice to support their health or wellbeing. However, 23% said that employer neglect of these issues damages their productivity.

“Allowing employees to fit in time to exercise, drop off and collect their children from school or start/finish earlier or later can make an enormous difference to productivity,” added Avis. “It also demonstrates that employers care about their staff and are prepared to move beyond a one-size-fits-all approach to ensure employees work at their best, which can only be a good thing for companies.” 

We hope you’ve enjoyed reading our article. Why not sign up to receive our newsletter direct to your inbox? Click here to subscribe. We regularly share articles from industry leaders on how to perform in the global workplace as well as the latest news and trends affecting the L&D industry. 


Interested in how introducing a cultural intelligence tool in your business could help to create a more borderless workforce? We’d love to show you our groundbreaking platform.