Product Type: Market Research Report
Published by: Mintel International Group Ltd.
Published: May 2008
Product Code: R560-3291Description The Home Office market in 2008 is boosted by a growing attitude in the U.S. that telecommuting is an advantageous business model benefiting both employers and employees. When coupled with the growing number of single-person small businesses between 2000 and 2005 (often operated out of the home), working from a home office will clearly become a norm in the 21st century.
With this in mind, this report offers readers in-depth analysis of the most important elements of the market, including:
- the innovations in equipment and services that serve the needs of the home office workforce
- what employers are doing to accommodate the growing number of workers who demand at-home work hours
- the attitudes of consumers who work from home, including usage of specific products and services
- factors that motivate home officers to continue their migration away from the corporate office
Table of Contents - Scope and Themes
- What you need to know
- Definition
- Data sources
- Consumer survey data
- TV spots
- Abbreviations and terms
- Abbreviations
- Executive Summary
- Overview
- A growing workforce
- Products and services used by home officers
- More employers are allowing, even encouraging, working from home
- Broadband access, consumer demand, and fuel prices drive the market
- The people
- The Size and Growth of the Home Office Worker Population
- Key points
- The WFH population
- Figure 1: Incidence of working from home, by degree, March 2008
- A growing WFH population, but little change in percentage of entire workforce
- Home Office Products and Services
- Key points
- Is technology too difficult for home office workers?
- Figure 2: Whether technology makes working from home really easy, among those who work from home at least once in a while, March 2008
- Figure 3: Attitudes towards setting up products and services related to working from home among those who work from home at least once in a while, March 2008
- Ownership of office products/furniture
- Figure 4: Types of home work spaces among WFH workers, March 2008
- Figure 5: Dell Vostro TV spot, 2008
- Other types of products/services valuable to home offices
- Figure 6: Ownership or use of specific office products and services, by WFH worker type, 2007
- Home office equipment innovations
- Personal computer components
- Multifunction machines
- Figure 7: Lexmark WiFi printer TV spot, 2008
- Ergonomics
- Innovations in home office space
- Level of employer reimbursement for at-home office supplies
- Figure 8: Level of employer reimbursement for office supplies/equipment for WFH workers, March 2008
- What key technologies will future WFH workers need?
- Less is more
- All-in-one communication services
- Going paperless
- Services at your doorstep
- Employer Accommodation of WFH Workers
- Key points
- Mothballing the time clock
- Why do a growing number of employers encourage working from home?
- Increased productivity, decreased burnout
- Encouraging work/life balance
- A WFH workforce saves companies money
- Sounds good, but does it pay?
- Figure 9: U.S. earnings levels, by work from home and work outside of home, 1999
- Market Drivers
- High-speed Internet access
- Figure 10: AT&T Yahoo! high-speed Internet, TV spot, 2008
- Consumer demand
- Figure 11: Incidence of and interest in working from home among those who work outside the home, March 2008
- Figure 12: Attitudes towards working from home among those who work from home at least once in a while, March 2008
- Rising gas prices give workers a reason to telecommute
- Figure 13: U.S. retail gasoline prices, regular gas, 2004-08
- The Home Office Worker Profile
- Key points
- Working from home—by ratio of time spent at home versus in the office
- Figure 14: Incidence of working from home, by degree, by gender and age, March 2008
- Level of reimbursement
- Figure 15: Level of employer reimbursement for office supplies/equipment for WFH workers, by gender and age, March 2008
- Home work space
- Figure 16: Types of home work spaces among WFH workers, by gender and age, March 2008
- Types of office equipment/services used by WFH workers
- Figure 17: Types of electronic equipment and services used by WFH workers, by gender and age, March 2008
- Figure 18: Types of furniture used by WFH workers, by gender and age, March 2008
- Attitudes and Motivations
- Key point
- Incidence of and interest in working from home
- Figure 19: Incidence of and interest in working from home among those who work outside the home, by gender and age, March 2008
- Attitudes towards working from home
- Figure 20: Attitudes towards working from home among those who work from home at least once in a while, by gender and age, March 2008
- Attitudes towards setting up WFH products and services
- Figure 21: Attitudes towards setting up products and services related to working from home among those who work from home at least once in a while, by gender and age, March 2008
- The Role of Income
- Key points
- Employer reimbursement for office supplies/equipment by income
- Figure 22: Level of employer reimbursement for office supplies/equipment for WFH workers, by income, March 2008
- Types of home work spaces among WFH workers by income
- Figure 23: Types of home work spaces among WFH workers, by income, March 2008
- Types of office equipment/services used by WFH workers by income
- Figure 24: type of electronic equipment and services used by WFH workers, by income, March 2008
- Figure 25: Furniture used by WFH workers, by income, March 2008
- Incidence of and interest in working from home by income
- Figure 26: Incidence of and interest in working from home among those who work outside the home, by income, March 2008
- Attitudes towards working at home by income
- Figure 27: Attitudes towards working from home among those who work from home at least once in a while, by income, March 2008
- Attitudes towards setting up WFH products and services by income
- Figure 28: Attitudes towards setting up products and services related to working from home among those who work from home at least once in a while, by gender and age, March 2008
- Presence of Children
- Key points
- Figure 29: Incidence of working from home, by degree, by presence of children, March 2008
- Telecommuting by WFH/WHO respondents by presence of children
- Figure 30: Extent of telecommuting by WFH/WHO respondents, by presence of children in the household, March 2008
- Types of home work spaces among WFH workers by presence of children
- Figure 31: Types of home work spaces among WFH workers, by presence of children in the household, March 2008
- Incidence of and interest in working from home by presence of children
- Figure 32: Incidence of and interest in working from home among those who work outside the home, by presence of children, March 2008
- Attitudes towards working from home by presence of children
- Figure 33: Attitudes towards working from home among those who work from home at least once in a while, by presence of children, March 2008
- Appendix: Other Useful Consumer Tables
- The presence of children
- Figure 50: Types of homework spaces among WFH workers, by presence of children, March 2008
- Figure 51: Attitudes towards setting up products and services related to working from home among those who work from home at least once in a while, by presence of children, March 2008
- The role of income
- Figure 52: Incidence of working from home, by degree, by income, March 2008
- Figure 53: Extent of telecommuting by WFH/WOH respondents, by income, March 2008
- Racial and ethnic effect on the home office worker
- Figure 54: Incidence of working from home, by degree, by race/ethnicity, March 2008
- Figure 55: Extent of telecommuting by WFH/WOH respondents, by race/ethnicity, March 2008
- Figure 56: Level of employer reimbursement for office supplies/equipment for WFH workers, by race/ethnicity, March 2008
- Figure 57: Types of homework spaces among WFH workers, by race/ethnicity, March 2008
- Figure 58: Types of homework spaces among WFH workers, by race/ethnicity, March 2008
- Figure 59: Incidence of and interest in working from home among those who work outside the home, by race/ethnicity, March 2008
- Figure 60: Attitudes towards working from home among those who work from home at least once in a while, by race/ethnicity, March 2008
- Figure 61: Attitudes towards setting up products and services related to working from home among those who work from home at least once in a while, by race/ethnicity, March 2008
- Appendix: Trade Associations
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