There actually seems to be a lot of data coming out lately to suggest that people that WFH may be less productive. I'm sure it was the other way around originally so maybe people have just become complacent. However, it seems 73% of people still believe they're more productive at home.
It’s true that widespread studies based on standard measures of efficiency have found that fully remote employees are 10% to 20% less productive than those working on company premises. Challenges related to communications, coordination and self-motivation may be factors in the decline.
The new research that showed lower productivity by full-time remote workers also found that those on a hybrid schedule — some days at home and some on site — were about as productive as those in the office full time.
https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2024-01-04/2024-year-employers-clamp-down-on-remote-work-not-so-fast#:~:text=It%27s%20true%20that%20widespread%20studies,be%20factors%20in%20the%20decline.
We first find that the productivity of workers randomly assigned to WFH is 18% lower than those in the office. Workers who prefer WFH are substantially less productive at home than the office (27% less compared to 13% less for workers who prefer the office).
https://www.nber.org/papers/w31515
WFH Research’s latest working paper, conducted by Stanford’s Institute for Economic Policy and Research, delves deep into the question that has been looming over businesses and employees: Does working from home cause diminished productivity? The results of the study, pointing to a 10%-20% decrease in productivity for fully remote workers, have brought forth complex implications for employers, employees, and policymakers.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/benjaminlaker/2023/08/02/working-from-home-leads-to-decreased-productivity-research-suggests/
We've all heard the arguments for WFH - including that by slashing commute times it makes people work more efficiently. But a major new study has revealed that remote working does not, in fact, make you more productive.
The first scientific experiment to measure the results of the Covid-era practice found that white-collar workers who are allowed to work from home for part of the week are not more efficient. The study, published in the journal Nature, compared the two groups after six months. The researchers found no evidence that workers became more productive by working from home.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13550055/WFH-does-NOT-make-productive-major-study-reveals.html
Home workers are 13 per cent less productive than hybrid workers and are costing the economy billions, an analysis has shown. The research, conducted by Vitality, found that home workers lost the most productive days (53 days).
https://www.peoplemanagement.co.uk/article/1806750/home-workers-13-per-cent-less-productive-hybrid-workers-research-finds
Indeed, the most recent research is producing findings that are hostile to the idea that working from home is good for output. A study of newly hired Indian data-entry workers by MIT and UCLA economists this week identified a decline in productivity of 18 per cent when comparing office workers to home workers. Another found employees at a major Asian IT business were 19 per cent less productive when working at home, while a recent Stanford analysis of multiple studies reported an average drop in productivity of between 10 per cent and 20 per cent.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/08/10/wfh-productivity-work-from-home-zoom/