Some factors such as inflation, the energy crisis, the rise in interest rates and the fear of recession have caused many companies, which at first had made a commitment to less face-to-face work models, to have seen in the traditional format face-to-face a solution for any economic eventuality. In this sense, some technology companies such as Twitter or Snap have decided to modify their remote work policy, eliminating it in the first case and reducing it in the second.
At the same time, studies continue to be carried out in relation to teleworking. Recently, the National Bureau of Economic Research, a US organization, has published a study on the time that teleworkers saved between 2021 and 2022 by not having to travel to their workplace.
More than an extra hour. According to the report entitled ‘Time saved working from home’, between 2021 and 2022, the teleworkers who participated in the research saved an average of 72 minutes a day by not having to travel anywhere to carry out their professional work. The study, carried out in 27 countries, analyzed the commuting time of people who worked from home at some point during the pandemic, comparing it with the levels of teleworking in their respective countries. In addition, it used regressive statistical analysis methods to cross-reference the data related to age, gender and education between the different countries.
Chinese telecommuters save more time. Additionally, the study indicates that China, Japan and India are the countries where wage earners who worked at home saved the most time: 102, 100 and 99 minutes respectively. On the other hand, teleworkers from Serbia, Poland and the United States are the ones who spend the least time going to their office, saving 51, 54 and 55 minutes respectively. Furthermore, in 23 of the 27 countries, the time saved by professionals was greater than 60 minutes.
Differences at educational and economic level. The study also points out that the higher the academic and economic level, the more time teleworkers save by staying at home. In other words, people with higher education spend more time commuting to their workplace than those with primary or secondary education. Specifically, they take, on average, ten more minutes.
In addition, it must be said that teleworkers with high educational and economic levels allocate a greater percentage of their extra time to leisure than those professionals with a lower academic level.
What is the extra time used for? On the other hand, there are differences regarding the destination of that saved time. On average, teleworkers in the 27 countries analyzed spend 40% on more work, either in their main job or in another extra job; 34% are employed in leisure and 11% in care tasks. It should be noted, however, that professionals in Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan spend 53% of the time saved on more work, while teleworkers in Germany, Greece, Japan, Italy, Poland and Spain spend less than 35% on this activity. % of your time saved.
European teleworkers want leisure. Additionally, professionals from Austria, Spain and Germany spend more than 40% of their saved time on leisure. Regarding the differences related to care, workers in Singapore and South Korea spend 6% of their extra time on this activity, while professionals in Greece, Italy, Poland and Serbia allocate more than 15%.
The gender gap. On the other hand, there are differences in the use that men and women make of the time saved. For example, men spend more time at work and leisure than women, while women spend more time on care and household tasks. This is a reality that shows the existence of the gender gap among teleworkers: according to a study published by the John Wiley publishing house, the percentage of teleworkers who claimed to perform household chores was 87.9%, while the of teleworkers was 74%.
Economic and environmental benefits. The researchers conclude that teleworking, in addition to improving the quality of life of teleworkers, reduces energy consumption and pollution. Additionally, they point out that it is a good tool to “improve economic and social resilience” in the event of a disaster, such as a pandemic. On the other hand, they also point to the challenges that teleworking can pose for the traditional organization of cities.
Image: Pixabay
