How Men and Women Feel About Working From Home

Editor's Note: This story originally appeared on FlexJobs.com.

Working from home continues to find its normative structure as both companies and working professionals find what works and what doesn’t.

Focusing on the delicate balance between the rights of companies and the rights of workers helps to spearhead conversations about the shifting paradigms of work-life balance and the complexities of remote work.

To better understand these inner workings and start important conversations, FlexJobs has polled thousands of working professionals to better understand these intricacies.

Running from February 6, 2024, to February 19, 2024, FlexJobs’ survey sheds light on the evolving relationship between remote work and modern workplace practices, exploring the multifaceted aspects of the arrangement through the experiences and opinions of over 4,200 working professionals.

In the following, the survey results around privacy, company rights, remote work values, and working priorities are explored.

Employee Surveillance: Privacy Invasion or Company Right

As the remote work landscape continues to grow and see changes, both professionals and companies alike are trying to set boundaries about what is and is not acceptable.

In the FlexJobs survey, working professionals shared their feedback about remote employee surveillance. More specifically, they gave their perspective on employee monitoring in regards to whether it’s an invasion of privacy or within a company’s right.

Overall, the majority of workers (67%) agree that digital surveillance tools for remote employees are an invasion of privacy. Below is a further breakdown of the data:

• Invasion of Privacy: Women — 80%; Men — 73%
• Within a Company’s Right: Women — 20%; Men — 27%

Remote Work Value

Working from home has long been a preferred method of working as well as touted as a more productive way of working.

Through the 2024 survey, FlexJobs found much the same.

Additionally, working professionals reported having a greater overall job satisfaction when working from home 100% of the time. Most professionals also stated they enjoyed the ability to work remotely from home. Explore more detailed data below:

• Prefer 100% Remote Work: Women — 73%; Men — 63%
• Greatest Job Satisfaction When Fully Remote: Women — 64%; Men — 57%
• Most Productive at Home: Women — 62%; Men — 56%
• Enjoy Working Remotely: Women — 81%; Men — 73%

Better Mental Health

FlexJobs has covered the impact of remote work on mental health for years. This survey is no different and looked to gain insight into how remote work continues to shape the mental health of working professionals.

Overall, 82% of professionals who participated in the survey stated their mental health is better working remotely than working on-site.

This breaks down with 62% stating they “strongly” agree that remote work is better for their mental health and 22% saying it’s somewhat better. The data is further broken down below:

• Better Mental Health: Women — 84%; Men — 77%

Longer Work Hours

Working remotely is known for being a productive way of working but in some cases leads to working more hours than you would in an office. With work right in front of you, oftentimes it can be hard to walk away, especially if you haven’t set good boundaries between work and home.

Working professionals across the board reported working more or the same number of hours when working from home vs working in-office. More details are below:

• Longer Hours Than In-Office: Women — 48%; Men — 43%
• Same Amount as In-Office: Women — 42%; Men — 47%
• Shorter Hours Than In-Office: Women — 10%; Men — 10%

Working Multiple Remote Jobs

One trend that has kicked off as more people are working remotely is working more than one remote job. While this is common practice when working multiple part-time jobs or side hustles, it’s less common when working full-time with a primary employer.

The FlexJobs survey found that a majority of workers have never secretly worked more than one job. However, a small segment of the workforce is willing to do so. Below is a breakdown of the findings:

• Have Not Secretly Worked Multiple Jobs: Women — 92%; Men — 89%
• Have Secretly Worked Multiple Jobs: Women — 8%; Men — 11%

Finding Your Remote Work Fit

The perspectives shared in the responses underscore the importance of adopting a personalized approach to remote work policies that respects the needs of employees and employers alike.

Using the data, we can envision a future where work is not just a place to go or tasks to complete but a well-crafted experience that respects the needs, aspirations, and humanity of professionals across the board.

As remote work continues to shape our lives, let us embrace the challenges and opportunities it presents, forging a path that leverages technology to enhance, not hinder, the working experience.