Dive Brief:

• In a recent FlexJobs survey with more than 2,600 respondents, half of workers reported that their home -- and not the office -- is their location of choice to be most productive on important work-related projects.
• Another 12% said they would choose a coffee shop, co-working space, library or other place besides the office. 14% would choose the office but only outside standard hours, leaving less than a quarter who prefer the actual office during regular working hours as a place to complete important work.
• The top reasons people think they are more productive at home versus the office include fewer interruptions from colleagues (76%), fewer distractions (74%), minimal office politics (71%), reduced stress from commuting (68%) and more comfortable office environment (65%).

Dive Insight:

Sara Sutton Fell, founder and CEO of FlexJobs, says the results of the survey "unfortunately confirm" that there is a serious problem with how our workplaces support -- or more accurately, don’t support -- an optimal environment for productivity, creating a real loss in both opportunity and revenue for companies.

“Companies need to take a serious look at their telecommuting policies and how they can help to harness the benefits telecommuting offers them," she says.

As Gallup reported earlier this month, telecommuting is on the rise in America. An increasing number of employers are already using cloud and mobile technologies and therefore it makes sense to allow telecommuting options for their teams.

"The trends we’ve seen in why people seek flexible work year over year are undeniable: it makes them happier and healthier in their personal lives, and more productive and satisfied in their work lives,” Fell says.