Randstad US today released results from its quarterly Randstad Workmonitor survey (Q1 2018). According to the data, although 82% of U.S. workers surveyed say the ability to work from anywhere at any time allows them to maintain a healthy work-​life balance, more than half (62%) still prefer to work in the office — and this number is even higher among young workers. Sixty-​five percent of those aged 18–24 said they prefer working in a traditional office environment, challenging the widespread perception that millennial and Gen Z workers tend to prefer digital interactions over personal ones.

According to AudienceSCAN, 21.5% of employees who work from home are between the ages of 45 and 54 and another 21.4% are ages 55 to 64.

Although flexible and remote work arrangements are a top priority for employees, that's not necessarily the case for employers, who often don't offer any or provide enough tools to fully support them:

• 66% of workers say they like the option of occasionally working from home or another location, but aren't able to do so.
• 36% of respondents report their workplaces support working from home any time and anywhere they want.
• A third (35%) of employees disagree that their employers provide the necessary technical equipment to enable them to work from home.
• 30% of workers say they regularly have online or virtual team meetings via video conferencing.

Employees who work from home are 91% more likely to plan to buy office equipment, furniture and supplies within the next year than other adults, according to AudienceSCAN.

Working from home or another location is an attractive option to employees:

• 66% of workers say they prefer to occasionally work from home or another location.
• 80% of workers say they like agile work (defined in the study as the ability to work from anywhere, anytime) because it increases their productivity, creativity and job satisfaction.
• More than half of all respondents (61%) don't believe this type of work interferes with their personal lives, or their ability to disconnect from work.

"The takeaway for employers: workers appreciate having the option to work when and where they want, but also value interacting with colleagues face-​to-​face in the workplace," said Jim Link, CHRO, Randstad North America. "Employers who strike the right balance — making flexible work arrangements as accessible as possible through technology while also cultivating a thriving office culture — will succeed in attracting and retaining top talent."

Home is not only where these employees work, it's also where they absorb most advertising. AudienceSCAN reports that 47.5% of these workers view TV as the most up-​to-​date source to get local information and, as a result, 54.4% took action after seeing a TV ad within the past year. Also within the last 12 months, another 52.2% of employees who work from home responded to direct mail ads.

AudienceSCAN data is available for your applications and dashboards through the SalesFuel API. Media companies and agencies can access AudienceSCAN data through the AudienceSCAN Reports in AdMall.