The Home Office - US

Published by: Mintel International Group Ltd.

Published: May. 1, 2008 - 72 Pages

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

Abstract

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

About MarketResearch.com
MarketResearch.com is an online aggregator selling over 160,000 market research reports, company profiles and country profiles from over 600 research firms. Our reports will provide you with the critical business and competitive intelligence you need for strategic planning and marketing research. Coverage includes the US, UK, Europe, Asia and global markets.