Remote Workers Achieve 22% More Focus Time than Office-Based Colleagues, Study Finds

New data reveals productivity gains in favor of remote workers, adding even more credibility to the argument that remote work is here to stay.  

More specifically, the work habits and distractions of individuals were placed under a microscope in a recent study conducted by Hubstaff. The data reveals that remote workers engage in more focused work time and experience fewer interruptions during work compared to their in-office colleagues. 

Remote team members, on average, spend 59.48% of their work week in focused time — compared to 48.5% for in-office team members. In terms of daily focus time, remote workers average about 273 minutes (4.55 hours), while in-office workers average 223 minutes (3.72 hours). Overall, the survey reveals that remote workers have approximately 22.75 hours of focused time per week, compared to 18.6 hours for in-office workers. This marks a 22% increase in focused time. 

On average, remote workers experience 2.78 interruptions during focused work per day, compared to 3.40 for office staff. Over the course of a year, this amounts to 18% fewer interruptions for remote workers.  

Hubstaff cites data published by the University of California at Irvine which found that it typically takes 23 minutes to refocus after an interruption, further pointing to the impact these differences could have on organization. 

The report suggests that companies might need to rethink their work arrangements — especially for roles that require deep concentration, such as programming, writing, accounting, and project management. The data indicates that remote work can not only improve productivity but also reduce the time lost to interruptions, thereby potentially improving work quality.