WHAT LEADERS NEED TO KNOW ABOUT REMOTE WORKERS
Surprising Differences in Workplace Happiness & Relationships

WHAT LEADERS NEED TO KNOW ABOUT REMOTE WORKERS
Surprising Differences in Workplace Happiness & Relationships

Today’s workplace is a global one, with companies and even teams that stretch across geographicalboundaries. Distance is no longer a barrier to collaboration, thanks to technologies that allow for
instantaneous communication across state and country borders. The idea of supervising and working
with employees you rarely meet in person — if at all — is more and more commonplace.
According to Gallup, 37% of of U.S. workers say they have telecommuted, a massive increase from the
9% who said the same back in 1995. Employment site FlexJobs saw a 26% jump in remote work postings
between 2013 and 2014.
It’s safe to say that, even if your company does not currently employ remote workers at the moment,
you’re likely to hire or work with them soon.
If that worries you — or if you already have remote employees and are concerned about them — it
might be because of the stereotypes that run rampant about telecommuters being lazy, unreliable, ordisconnected from the rest of the company. But the reality is that remote workers have a lot of potential
to contribute to their organizations in unique ways.
We surveyed 509 U.S. employees who work remotely at all times to find out about their experiences in
the workplace. And to put their responses in context, we compared them with benchmarks calculated
from responses from over 200,000 employees across all work arrangements.
There were some striking differences. We found these three notable themes: in comparison to all
employees, remote workers ...
Are happier at work (p = < .001; d = .381)
Feel more valued at work (p = < .001; d = .47)
But have a lower relationship with their coworkers (p = < .001; d = -.41)
On a scale of 1 to 10 ...

... how happy are you
at work?

8.10... how valued do you feelat work?

7.75... rate your relationshipwith your coworkers.

7.88

7.42
6.69
8.47

1 One-sample t tests measure the difference between a score and a single (benchmark) value. Cohen’s d is used to assess the extent of thedifference between the score and the single value. Cohen’s d values above .50 are considered moderate differences, while those above .80
are considered large differences. p is the probability that no difference or relationship is present; therefore a p value below .05 indicatesstatistical significance.

WHAT LEADERS NEED TO KNOW ABOUT REMOTE WORKERS
Surprising Differences in Workplace Happiness & Relationships

The picture that emerges is one of a workforce that has the potential for high levels of employee
engagement but also struggles to be connected with the rest of their company.
In our analysis, we looked at four aspects of remote employees’ workplace experience:
What does the remote workforce look like? From the 58% of employees who work on an all-remoteteam to the 51% who don’t work a typical 9-to-5 schedule, this group looks very different from a
traditional workforce.
What are the best ways to get the most out of them? An overwhelming 91% of respondents saythey’re more productive when working remotely. To maximize that productivity, we need to see what
factors are helping or hampering their work.
How strong are their relationships with supervisors and colleagues? 27% of remote workers saythey have experienced a work-related problem because they weren’t in the same place as their team.
We need to take measures to mitigate these issues.
What impact does experience have? Not all remote workers are created equal. We found significant
differences between respondents based on their tenure at their remote job. Those who have been
telecommuting between 6 and 10 years report being 11% happier than those in their first year.
The insights provided to us by these workers can act as a guide map for leaders to figure out bestpractices for managing their remote employees — or leaders who want to start preparing for them.

The Demographics of Remote Workers
Of the 509 employees we surveyed, the majority (58%) are between the ages of 25 and 44. So while there
are some millennials — a.k.a. the mobile-first generation — in this group, it’s mostly made up of Gen X.
And they’re not just a typical workforce that has been transplanted outside of the office; while 49%of respondents have a typical 9-to-5 workweek, the majority of them hold schedules that range fromnights and weekends to being 100% on call. In addition, 58% work an a team made up entirely of remote
employees. For these workers, there is no division between a “main” office and the telecommuters.
In regards to income, respondents ranged from below U.S. $25,000 to 6-figure salaries beyond $150,000.
However, the largest group was solidly in the middle, in the $50,000 to $74,999 range.
There was a notable difference according to gender: though there was a fairly even mix of men and women,
the number of female remote workers earning $25,000 or less was more than double the number of men.
The majority of respondents with salaries below $50,000 were female (87 women compared to 61 men).

WHAT LEADERS NEED TO KNOW ABOUT REMOTE WORKERS
Surprising Differences in Workplace Happiness & Relationships

Creating the Best Workplace Experience
Drop the stereotypes, say these remote workers: 91% assert that they get more work done outside of theoffice. Having engaged, productive employees doesn’t require being in the same room as them.
That’s a number that should grab the attention of any manager, whether or not they currently supervise
remote employees.
Do you believe that you get more work done when working remotely?

No

9%
91%

Yes

But that doesn’t mean it’s a good idea to boot employees out the office doors. Further responses fromthe remote workers show how beneficial some workplace arrangements can be, and how detrimental
others are.
For one thing, the reasons employees have for working remotely can vary widely. The most popular one
given was that they enjoy having the freedom of choosing when and where to work (41%). Others citedfamily needs and a dislike of working in an office.
A sizeable group (22%) work remotely because their job requires them to. And these employees had very
different answers from the freedom-loving workers when it came to workplace happiness, feelings ofappreciation, and retention.
Employees who work
remotely because they
enjoy the freedom andflexibility

Employees who work
are required to work
remotely by their job... how happy are you at work?

8.33

7.88

.26

.027

... how valued do you feel at
work?

8.12

7.33

.40

.001

... how likely do you see yourself
working here in one year?

8.28

7.58

.30

.015

On a scale of 1 to 10 ...

WHAT LEADERS NEED TO KNOW ABOUT REMOTE WORKERS
Surprising Differences in Workplace Happiness & Relationships

So consider carefully what kind of remote work arrangements you introduce in your organization. It’ssafe to say that flexibility is important — and that includes the flexibility to not work remotely. Forcing
the issue could leave employees feeling unappreciated and even increase your company’s turnover risk.
Another factor that impacts workplace happiness is a remote worker’s schedule. Are they working thesame hours as their office counterparts, just from their couch? Or do they work nights or have to be on
call?
The happiest employees, it turns out, are those who typically work every day of the week.

Typical workweek
Seven days a week withshorter hours
Random / on call / sporadic
throughout the day

On a scale of 1 to 10, how happy are you at work?

8.49
8.12

Typical workweek hours (M-F, 9-5)

7.88

Unusual workweek hours (night hours,
Sunday - Thursday, etc)

7.82

Other

7.67

In contrast, those who have more standard-length workdays but not the usual set of days (or days at all)report some of the lowest levels of happiness.
We also looked at the role salary plays. It’s easier to assume that the more a person is paid, the happierthat they’ll be. But Forbes points out that employees reach a point of diminishing returns, specificallywhen salaries surpass $75,000, where earning more money doesn’t give a significant boost to happiness.
Interestingly, our results somewhat matched up to that assertion. The happiest employees are those
who earn between $75,000 and $99,000 range (slightly higher than Forbes’s cut-off point). And in fact,happiness decreases slightly at salaries beyond that.

WHAT LEADERS NEED TO KNOW ABOUT REMOTE WORKERS
Surprising Differences in Workplace Happiness & Relationships

SalaryOn a scale of 1 to 10, how happy are you at work?

$0 - 24,999$25,000 - 49,999$50,000 - 74,999

7.75
7.62
8.18

$75,000 - 99,999

8.36$100,000 - 149,999

8.3$150,000 and above

8.21

This doesn’t mean adding a salary cap at $100,000 will guarantee employee happiness, of course. Justthat it’s important to be aware that money can’t be used as a silver bullet for workplace satisfaction.

Improving Relationships & Culture
For all the apparent benefits of remote work for the employee experience, we did note that remoteworkers reported a lower level of satisfaction with their coworkers (7.88) when compared to thebenchmark of all employees (8.47). This isn’t particularly surprising, given that these employees have
limited interaction with their colleagues, with most, if not all, of that interaction happening virtually.
27% of respondents reported having experienced a work-related problem because they weren’t in thesame place as their team. It’s not hard to imagine what kinds of problems might arise: an employee
missing a vital update about a project because it was only shared to the team in person, a connection
failure excluding a remote worker from an office meeting, or perhaps a coworker who is rude over email.
One of our clients received the following comment from a remote employee in their TINYpulse survey.
The employee noted the difference in their experience with coworkers when they transitioned fromoffice to remote work:“The one thing I have noticed is that it is sometimes harder to get a response from someone and getsomething moving when I’m not in the office to get ‘in their face,’ if you will. ;) I also find it harder to keep
appointments with people — I feel like someone who is in the office will bail on a meeting last minute more
readily now that I’m working remotely than they would have when I was in the office.”
Victor Lipman, management consultant and author of The Type B Manager: Leading Successfully in a
Type A World, has seen this dynamic occur with remote employees throughout his career. He says:

WHAT LEADERS NEED TO KNOW ABOUT REMOTE WORKERS
Surprising Differences in Workplace Happiness & Relationships“It underscores the need for increased communication. As important as communication always is in
management, it becomes even more when individuals or teams are remote and thus the potential for
disconnection and confusion is greater.”Let’s take another look at employees who are required to work remotely versus those who choose it for
the freedom. As with happiness and retention, workers who are required to be remote tend to rate theircolleagues and company culture lower than those who opt in for the flexibility.

On a scale of 1 to 10 ...

Employees who work
Employees who work
remotely because they are required to work
enjoy the freedom and remotely by their job
flexibility... rate your relationship withyour coworkers.

8.08

7.45

.33

.006

... how would you rate yourorganization’s culture?

7.75

7.08

.32

.009

There is, however, one way in which remote work seems to actually benefit collegial relationships. We
asked employees how much of a difference there was between their time zone and the main time zoneof their team, then compared those responses to their ratings of their coworkers. As you might expect, atime difference of 3 hours or more correlates with a lower rating. However, the people who are happiest
with their coworkers? Those whose team doesn’t have a single main time zone.
On a scale of 1 to 10, rate your relationship with yourcoworkers.
0 hours

7.69
8.26

1 hour2 hours

7.91

3 hours or more

7.70

No team
No main time zone

7.22
8.33

WHAT LEADERS NEED TO KNOW ABOUT REMOTE WORKERS
Surprising Differences in Workplace Happiness & Relationships

There could be any number of reasons for this trend, but one possibility is that having teammates
scattered across locations eliminates the “us versus them” mentality that might spring up when there
is one centrally located team and remote employees isolated outside of it. When everyone has to put ineffort to engage with their colleagues, the whole team benefits.
Our findings also uncovered some good news, and that’s how remote workers feel about their directsupervisors.
Here’s what another remote worker said in their TINYpulse survey:“As a remote employee, I am impressed with the support I get from my coaching team members. There is asignificant time difference, I am always impressed with how [my manager] and coaches make themselves
available for me when I need them. If I see an opportunity to gain support, I share [it] with my manager andshe supports me!”We predicted that employees outside of the office would have infrequent contact, and that appears to be
the case, with more employees having contact with their supervisors once a week instead of on a daily
basis.

3%
21%

10%

Once per day

34%
31%

Multiple times per day

Once per week
Once per month
Never

Fortunately, this isn’t necessarily a problem. When we asked how often remote employees wanted
contact with their supervisor, the most popular choice was a weekly frequency.

WHAT LEADERS NEED TO KNOW ABOUT REMOTE WORKERS
Surprising Differences in Workplace Happiness & Relationships

n

5%
18%

13%

%

Multiple times per day
Once per day

34%
31%

Once per week
Once per month
NeverThis level of satisfaction also applies to communication about their performance. The majority of remoteworkers, unsurprisingly, do not receive their feedback in person. Instead, they rely on communication
technologies ranging from texting to Skype.
How do you receive feedback on your performance at work fromyour supervisor?
n

1% 1%
3%

29%

34%

%

Other
I don't receive feedback from mydirect supervisor
Do not have a direct supervisor
In person
Phone/Skype/Google Hangouts

33%

Digital commnunication(text, email,etc.)

The vast majority of respondents are happy with the way their supervisor gives them feedback on theirperformance.

WHAT LEADERS NEED TO KNOW ABOUT REMOTE WORKERS
Surprising Differences in Workplace Happiness & Relationships

Are you happy with how you receive feedback?

92%

Yes
No

8%

What these responses indicate is that it’s not necessarily a matter of how or even when — effective
management and feedback can happen even in ways that we don’t typically expect to see.
Lipman boils it down to this primary requirement:“[E]stablishing, and managing to, very clear, measurable and mutually agreed-upon employee objectives.
In the absence of more regular in-person contact, periodic check-ins to review performance against clearly
established goals becomes critically important. As I like to say, when it comes to managing for success(whether or not remotely, but especially remotely), clarity is king and queen.”
Eric Siu, founder of Growth Everywhere and CEO of SingleGrain, achieves that clarity for his remote
employees with these key communication practices:“Daily 1-on-1s (yes, daily) and using Objectives and Key Results (OKRs).”
To facilitate communication and culture with the team as a whole, he makes sure to get everyone face toface on a regular basis:“Quarterly get-togethers with the whole company. The in-person meetings are invaluable.”
Between those quarterly meetings, remote employees may only “see” their colleagues virtually. But thatinteraction can be just as positive, if handled right.
In fact, one remote worker who spoke to us anonymously pointed to chat platforms such as Campfire,
Yammer, or Slack as a great solution to the disconnect she and other remote workers feel. The key tobuilding relationships is communication, she said, and the beauty of chat tools is that they let off-site
employees participate in group conversations all day, unlike videoconferencing or other methods thathave a limited timeframe.
“It’s important for remote workers to get a sense of how people talk to each other all day during thework day. Remote staff should be encouraged to participate, if necessary, by pinging them specifically tocontribute to the conversation. While this wouldn’t fly for introverts in a face-to-face meeting situation, it’smuch easier to draw people out online. A channel dedicated to random thoughts, jokes, etc., is also great
for remote workers as it replicates the type of banter that happens spontaneously in a shared physicalworkspace.”WHAT LEADERS NEED TO KNOW ABOUT REMOTE WORKERS
Surprising Differences in Workplace Happiness & Relationships

This means that virtual communication has value beyond just getting information to or from a remoteworker. It’s about the morale boost of being included with and laughing at the same jokes as theircoworkers, being addressed (and appreciated for) more than just their work output.

The Importance of Timing
There’s a vast difference between an employee who has been remote for years versus the new hire who
is just logging on for the first time away from the office. And the difference shows in these employees’
feelings about their workplace.
When compared to employees who have been at their remote job for less than a year, those who havebeen in their position from 3 to 5 years:
Are 11% happierFeel 14% more valued
Rate their relationship with coworkers as 11% better

7.3
7
7.6
6
8.2
0
8.0
7
8.0
3

7.1
7
7.5
9
8.1
4
7.8
5
7.5
6

Tenure at current remote job

10

7.5
1
7.9
7
8.3
6
8.3
5
8.0
0

On a scale of 1 to 10 ...

8

11 or more years

6

3 to 5 years
3 to 5 years

4

1 to 2 years

2Less than 1 year0... how happy are
you at work?

... how valued do you
feel at work?

... rate your relationshipwith your coworkers

What’s good about these numbers is that it means a remote employee’s experience isn’t static. While
there may be a rough patch early on in the experience, things can improve. And this is where leaders canplay a big role.

WHAT LEADERS NEED TO KNOW ABOUT REMOTE WORKERS
Surprising Differences in Workplace Happiness & Relationships

Conclusion
Leaders can draw a lot of useful information from the responses of these remote employees. We cantarget specific areas for action:
Treat them like the productive workers they are: 91% of remote workers do better outside of theoffice. Don’t treat them with suspicion just because they’re not in your physical sight. After all, manyof them love freedom, so micromanagement can crush their engagement.
Emphasize flexibility: Freedom is the number one draw for remote workers. (And at the same time,
freedom from remote work might be the best option for some.) Allow these employees to determine
their own location and hours as much as possible. Many would be happy to work every day, in fact,
albeit with shorter hours. It’s an easy way to boost workplace happiness.
Make efforts to reach out: Remote workers don’t need you to replicate the in-person interaction
you have with your employees at the office. You don’t have to talk to them every day or give them
feedback face to face. But encourage your team to reach out, giving their remote colleagues thesame level of consideration and respect as their office counterparts. And make sure that yourcommunication with them, however frequent, is meaningful.
Remember that a remote work experience is dynamic: The state of a remote worker’s engagement
or collegial interaction in the first year will not be the case forever. Don’t assume that early
unhappiness has to persist, or that happiness will stick around without effort on your part.
By using the input from remote workers to inform best practices, leaders can find ways to make thisworkforce into an engaged, loyal, and thriving part of their organization.

WHAT LEADERS NEED TO KNOW ABOUT REMOTE WORKERS
Surprising Differences in Workplace Happiness & Relationships

Research ApproachThis study analyzed responses from 509 U.S. employees who work remotely at all times. Averages werethen compared to benchmarks based on responses from over 200,000 employees at organizations that
use the TINYpulse employee engagement platform, collected between March 2015 and March 2016.
One-sample t tests were used to conduct the analytics. One-sample t tests measure the difference
between a score and a single (benchmark) value. Cohen’s d is used to assess the extent of the difference
between the score and the single value. Cohen’s d values above .50 are considered moderate differences,while those above .80 are considered large differences. p is the probability that no difference orrelationship is present; therefore a p value below .05 indicates statistical significance.

Contributors
Cody Likavec - Marketing Data Analyst. B.A. in Statistics, University of South Florida.
Mariuxi Olaya - UX Designer. B.F.A. in Design and Visual Communication, University of Santa Maria.
Dora Wang - Employee Engagement Researcher. B.A. in Creative Writing, University of Washington.

WHAT LEADERS NEED TO KNOW ABOUT REMOTE WORKERS
Surprising Differences in Workplace Happiness & Relationships

Appendix
Questionn%$0 - 24,999

29

6$25,000 - 49,999

119

23

$50,000 - 74,999

139

27

$75,000 - 99,999

104

20

$100,000 - 149,999

90

18$150,000 and above28

6

Typical workweek hour (M-F, 9-5)

250

49

Unusual workweek hours (Night hours, Sunday-Thursday, etc.)

97

19

Random / On-call / Sporadic throughout the day

84

17

Seven days a week with shorter hours

75

15

Other

3

0

Less than 1 year63

12

1 - 2 years

172

34

3 - 5 years

160

31

6 - 10 years

82

16

11 or more years

32

6

IncomeWork-week

How long have you been working remotely at your current job?

WHAT LEADERS NEED TO KNOW ABOUT REMOTE WORKERS
Surprising Differences in Workplace Happiness & Relationships

Do you work on a team of all remote workers?

n

%

No

213

42

Yes

296

58

114

22

38

8

I enjoy the freedom of choosing when or where to work

208

41

It accommodates my family needs

140

28

Other

9

2

Never

17

3

Once per month

52

10

Once per week

173

34

Once per day

159

31

Multiple times per day

108

21

Never

24

5

Once per month67

13

Once per week

172

34

Once per day

156

31

Multiple times per day

90

18

What is the primary reason you work remotely?
It is required for my job

WHAT LEADERS NEED TO KNOW ABOUT REMOTE WORKERS
Surprising Differences in Workplace Happiness & Relationships

How do you receive feedback on your performance at workfrom your supervisor?

n%

Digital communication (text, email, etc.)

172

34

Phone / Skype / Google Hangouts

166

33

In person

145

29

Do not have a direct supervisor

15

3

I don’t receiver feedback from my direct supervisor

6

1

Other

5

1

No

37

8

Yes

451

92

No

48

9

Yes

461

91

0 hours

228

45

1 hour88

17

2 hours77

15

3 or more hours

53

10

Do not work on a team

9

2

There is no main time zone

54

11

No

373

73

Yes

136

27

Are you happy with how you receive feedback?

Do you believe that you get more work done when working remotely?

Have you ever experienced a work-related problem because
you weren’t in the same place as your team?

About TINYpulse
Companies make an effort to consistently track revenue, financial returns, and productivity. But they’reforgetting one of the most important aspects of their organization: their people. And that’s where
TINYpulse comes in.

Our Mission
Founded in 2012, TINYpulse works hard to make employees happy. Our goal is to give leaders a pulse
on how engaged or frustrated their employees are, helping managers spark dialogue that results inorganizational change.

What We Do
We believe that information empowers leaders to create an engaging work environment and culture
where people can thrive. Here is how we do that:

Pulsing surveys: Our weekly pulse survey measures employee engagement using just one question.
TINYpulse is a lightweight solution that captures anonymous feedback from your team to reveal
insights, trends, and opportunities so you can improve retention, culture, and results.

Peer-to-peer recognition: TINYpulse’s Cheers for Peers™ peer-to-peer recognition tool captures theappreciation, extra effort, and little things that are often overlooked by leaders. Peers can easily senda quick shout-out to their colleagues to brighten up their day—because a little recognition goes a longway.
Virtual suggestions: Our virtual suggestion box lets employees have direct input on how to improve
the workplace. The anonymous format makes employees feel comfortable being honest and offering
actionable ideas to improve their workplace.