Minneapolis, Minnesota (PRWEB) December 20, 2012

“Over 10% of US employees are now working from a home office,” according to a recent Stanford University report titled “Does Working From Home Work?” and released in November. However, Connected Nation findings show that closer to 22% of Minnesota’s workforce, work from a home office – a larger percentage of residents than any other state surveyed by Connected Nation.

Home Destination summarizes the top reasons Minneapolis real estate trends and Minnesota residents choose a home office:

1) save money on gasoline

2) save money on vehicle maintenance

3) save time driving

4) more productive during work hours

5) a better balance between home and work life

6) avoid driving in harsh winter weather

Stanford’s University released findings were conducted from a treatment group consisted of a 13,000 employee NASDAQ-listed Chinese firm, Ctrip Employees who worked from home four days a week for nine months and a control group who were in the office all five days in the work week. After employees were allowed to choose whether they preferred to work from a home office or the shared office work space, the performance impact of WFH more than doubled. Stanford’s findings highlight the benefits of choice alongside modern flexible work practices, like being given the option of working from a home office, according to the study.

Home Destination’s owner Jenna Thuening says, “A home office is on its way to becoming an essential item on a house buyer’s wish list as 22 % of Minnesota workforce works from a home office and the trend seems to be growing. Setting up a home office should involve more than functional planning – its best if it is well designed, too. Should you decide to sell your home, having your home office furniture and accessories coordinate with wall and floor coverings will count in the same manner as any other room in the home to a real estate buyer.”

Key points of interest in the Stanford study indicating the trend toward increased in home offices include:

Home workers also reported improved work satisfaction and their job attrition rate fell by 50%.

When given a choice, half of the volunteer group decided to work from a home office, with the other half were still in favor of office working.

Findings suggest the large impact of work flexibility on employee performance a $ 2000 per employee reduction in costs and a 30%increase in the impact on total factor productivity (TFP).

Minnesota has the highest number of employees who utilize a home office, according to a report from the Minnesota Telework-Force. Approximately 570,000 Minnesotans, or 22% of the workforce, work from a home office – a larger percentage of residents than any other state surveyed by Connected Nation. Key findings in Minnesota’s Telework-Force Report are:

The average teleworker in Minnesota saves approximately 1,934 miles per year on driving time commuting back and froth to work.

Nearly 1/4 of Minnesota employed teleworkers (23%) say they telework every day, rather than commute to and from work. On average, Minnesota teleworkers say they preform their professional duties from a home office 1.6 days per week or a total of 80 days per year.

Each individual opting to work from a home office saves an average of $ 343.16 on car maintenance and prevents 1,411 of CO2 emissions entering the atmosphere.

Across Minnesota, this equals nearly $ 196 million saved and 804 million fewer pounds of CO2 emissions each year as a result of workers who opt for a home office.

Approximately 695,000 employed Minnesotans would telework if their employer allowed it, and 157,000 Minnesotans who are currently unemployed said they would be interested in working if telework was an option.

More than 4 out of 10 Minnesota businesses with 50 or more employees (43%) allow employees to choose home offices.

Nearly 1/2 of Minnesota businesses in the Financial and Professional Services sector (48%) office from home.

“With nearly 1/2 of Minnesota businesses and professional services allow their employees to work from a home office, home buyers and sellers are increasing finding room to create a home office. It makes sense with today’s trends,” says Thuening.

In addition to the hundreds of thousands of Minnesotans who currently work from home, many more are interested in working from a home office, according to the Connected Nations report.

Supporting reasons for trending toward working from home are highlighted by United States Office of Personnel Management: “Telework program benefits extend from the individual to larger communities. Teleworks potential to enhance work-life balance for individual employees is well documented. Implemented widely across agencies, telework has the potential to improve quality of life for communities, for example, by reducing traffic congestion and pollution. Increasingly, however, the potential for agency benefits drives telework implementation.”

If you are a Twin Cities resident seeking to either buy or sell a Minneapolis area home with a home office as a criteria, call Jenna Thuening at 612-396-7832.