Amy Diehl, Ph.D.
Study of 27 countries finds the average daily time savings for remote work is 72 min per person. Workers allocate 40% of the saved time to their jobs, 11% to caregiving, and 34% to leisure.
https://fortune.com/2023/01/24/worker-productivity-spend-commute-time-working/
Working from home saves employees 2 hours a week in commute time, and they’re spending it in ways CEOs don’t expect

CEOs like Elon Musk and James Gorman say remote workers are less productive. But new research from the NBER indicates otherwise.

Fortune
Jan 25, 2023 at 2:24amWeb
Show threadPlay Ball and Fight FascistsJan 25, 2023
@amydiehl
Yep, where I live, remote work saves me easily 1.5-2 hours of commute time, plus I don't show up to work angry or stressed because of traffic, so I start the day in a reasonably good headspace, which goes a LONG way.
Plus I can do a lot more with my lunch hour to boot.
Show threadJamesWNealJan 25, 2023
@amydiehl still waiting for Fortune to correct that confusing hed. Sent a message to the author, not that he necessarily wrote it.
Show threadrmquistJan 25, 2023
@amydiehl each day that I work from home saves me 1.5+ hours (combined commute time)... And like others, a good portion of that time is spent... working (for better or worse)... The only real downside to not commuting for me is that I tend to listen less frequently to favorite podcasts :(
Show threadMichael GemarJan 25, 2023
@amydiehl How does 72 minutes x 5 days work out to 2 hours a week???
Show threadAndrew FJan 25, 2023
@michaelgemar @amydiehl It's not 5 days a week. They're averaging across all workers, who had something like 1.7 remote work days per week.
Show threadMichael GemarJan 25, 2023

@aftd @amydiehl Ah, so fully-remote workers could save 6 hours a week of commuting. That seems like such a no-brainer (for those who have jobs that can be done remotely).

I’m fully WFH apart from a monthly staff meeting, and it’s fantastic.

Show threadmarcmagusJan 26, 2023
@michaelgemar @amydiehl probably 72m x 5 x .4 = 144m/w, the amount of additional productivity, but phrased as "employee hours" in a very confusing way?
Show threadAinebetJan 25, 2023
@amydiehl I have a job that truly cannot be done from home, and if I didn't commute it would give me almost 2 hours a *day* back! 8-10 hours in a work week!
Show threadhannahshouse2 🇺🇸 CaliforniaJan 25, 2023
@amydiehl
I'm #JobHunting and only looking at fully remote work. I'm willing to travel and be on site occasionally but not daily or weekly.
Show threadRam PrakashJan 25, 2023
@amydiehl paywalled. But I agree wholeheartedly with the findings. For me it’s 2 hours saved every day (counting just the time spent commuting) even more if you count the unproductive minutes trying to recuperate from the stress of the commute ;-)
Show threadSimonJan 25, 2023
@amydiehl I wonder how big the secondary effects from increased working from home are, such as time saved from having less big traffic jams by people who do have to commute to work
Show threadHandgunYoga (he/him/his)Jan 25, 2023

@amydiehl
My job is 100% WFH. We were able to sell off a vehicle. I’m saving a car payment, car insurance, fuel, tires, tolls, parking, meals out, a work wardrobe, *and* easily an hour and a half a day.

One reason workers resist returning to the office? It amounts to a pay cut, too.

Show threadAngelMountaineerJan 25, 2023
@amydiehl the only issue I have still is that I need tom make sure I move enough in a day, I do miss my bike ride to the train station/office
Show threadInkish KingdomsJan 25, 2023
@amydiehl it saves me 20 Hours a week…
Show threadBearded_PipJan 25, 2023
@amydiehl I mean if you want less productive and more miserable employees, have at it, but the numbers are telling a very clear tale.
Show threadBeeksJan 25, 2023

@amydiehl @mmasnick
A tale as old as time.

Scientific study: "Hey, this thing is actually good for employees AND the company bottom line! All it requires is a slight deviation in tradition."

Employees: "Yes please, this thing would be amazing."

CEOs: "This thing is antithetical to everything we stand for. We will do the opposite of the thing."

Show threadBathsheba BlueJan 25, 2023
@amydiehl
Workers save the cost of commuting, the cost of lunch/ coffee, work clothes, shoes & bags, dry cleaning, etc etc.
Employers save money too and get more productive workers.
Better for the environment.
Better for everyone all the way around. A real no-brainer. No wonder Wall Street & conservatives don’t like it.