Microsoft study highlights the benefits of working from home Many managers considering a work from home model first want to know why it is preferable to alternatives. Microsoft’s whitepaper, “Work without Walls,” cited in Forbes, shows what employees view as the top 10 benefits of working from home. Some of the top benefits include work/home balance, saving money on gas, avoiding traffic and greater work productivity. Here is the complete list: Work/home balance (60%) Save gas (55%) Avoid traffic (47%) More productive (45%) Less distractions (44%) Eliminate long commute (44%) Quieter atmosphere (43%) Less stressful environment (38%) More time with family (29%) Environmentally friendly (23%) Microsoft explains that some business leaders’ reluctance to embrace the model stems from worries over workers taking advantage of working remotely. However, the author of the Forbes article, Kevin Kruse, suggests that simply developing measurable goals and metrics, as well as regular communication, assuages this problem. In addition, evidence suggests that at-home workers are, in fact, more productive than their counterparts. As we’ve discussed previously, a Stanford study found that at-home call center representatives for a travel company completed more calls than in-person representatives and were also less likely to quit their position. Similarly, a 2012 field study conducted by Brown University discovered a 12 percent increase in performance for a group of 255 call center employees who worked from home. This increase was both in terms of minutes worked per shift and performance per minute. Participants in the field study also reported higher work satisfaction and improved well-being. To improve your company’s customer service solutions and customer retention, consider working with a onshore customer service contact center that embraces the At-Home Agent business model.