A recent study conducted by the American nonprofit research organization, the National Bureau of Economic Research, has found that individuals who work from home might be less efficient than their counterparts working in traditional office settings.

The research focused on the productivity of data-entry workers in Chennai, India, who had the ability to perform their tasks remotely. The study's participants were randomly assigned to either work from home or work in the office. To ensure that remote workers were not outsourcing their tasks, their built-in laptop cameras took photos of them every 15 minutes.

The primary metric used to measure productivity was "net speed," which assessed the number of correct entries per minute. The study revealed that individuals working from home had a net speed approximately 18% lower than those working in the office. Interestingly, around two-thirds of the drop in productivity were noticeable from the very first day, while the remaining decrease was attributed to in-office workers learning more quickly compared to remote workers over time.

The shift to remote work became widespread during the COVID-19 pandemic and, for many, continued even as restrictions eased. This trend is especially prominent among higher-income earners. According to a survey by Pew Research from March, 35% of surveyed U.S. employees who have the option to work remotely are doing so full-time.