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Remote Work, Employee Mix, and Performance

Author

Listed:
  • Aksoy, Cevat Giray

    (European Bank for Reconstruction and Development)

  • Bloom, Nicholas

    (Stanford University)

  • Davis, Steven J.

    (Hoover Institution)

  • Marino, Victoria

    (EBRD, London)

  • Özgüzel, Cem

    (Paris School of Economics)

Abstract

We study the shift to fully remote work at a large call center in Turkey, highlighting three findings. First, fully remote work increased the share of women, including married women, rural and smaller-town residents. By accessing groups with traditionally lower labor-force participation the firm was able to increase its share of graduate employees by 14% without raising wages. Second, workforce productivity rose by 10%, reflecting shorter call durations for remote employees. This was facilitated by a quieter home working environment, avoiding the background noise in the office. Third, fully remote employees with initial in-person training saw the higher long-run remote productivity and lower attrition rates. This underscores the advantages of initial in-person onboarding for fully remote employees.

Suggested Citation

  • Aksoy, Cevat Giray & Bloom, Nicholas & Davis, Steven J. & Marino, Victoria & Özgüzel, Cem, 2025. "Remote Work, Employee Mix, and Performance," IZA Discussion Papers 17917, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp17917
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Barrero, Jose Maria & Bloom, Nick & Davis, Steven J., 2020. "Why Working From Home Will Stick," SocArXiv wfdbe, Center for Open Science.
    2. Nicholas Bloom & Gordon B. Dahl & Dan-Olof Rooth, 2024. "Work from Home and Disability Employment," NBER Working Papers 32943, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    3. Cevat Giray Aksoy & Jose Maria Barrero & Nicholas Bloom & Steven J. Davis & Mathias Dolls & Pablo Zarate, 2022. "Working from Home Around the World," Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, Economic Studies Program, The Brookings Institution, vol. 53(2 (Fall)), pages 281-360.
    4. Nicholas Bloom & James Liang & John Roberts & Zhichun Jenny Ying, 2015. "Does Working from Home Work? Evidence from a Chinese Experiment," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 130(1), pages 165-218.
    5. Alexandre Mas & Amanda Pallais, 2017. "Valuing Alternative Work Arrangements," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 107(12), pages 3722-3759, December.
    6. Natalia Emanuel & Emma Harrington, 2024. "Working Remotely? Selection, Treatment, and the Market for Remote Work," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 16(4), pages 528-559, October.
    7. Nicole Maestas & Kathleen J. Mullen & David Powell & Till von Wachter & Jeffrey B. Wenger, 2023. "The Value of Working Conditions in the United States and the Implications for the Structure of Wages," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 113(7), pages 2007-2047, July.
    8. Agrawal, David R. & Brueckner, Jan K., 2025. "Taxes and telework: The impacts of state income taxes in a work-from-home economy," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 145(C).
    9. Cevat Giray Aksoy & Jose Maria Barrero & Nicholas Bloom & Steven J. Davis & Mathias Dolls & Pablo Zarate, 2023. "Time Savings When Working from Home," AEA Papers and Proceedings, American Economic Association, vol. 113, pages 597-603, May.
    10. repec:osf:socarx:q4dyg_v1 is not listed on IDEAS
    11. Prithwiraj (Raj) Choudhury & Cirrus Foroughi & Barbara Larson, 2021. "Work‐from‐anywhere: The productivity effects of geographic flexibility," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 42(4), pages 655-683, April.
    12. Diego Battiston & Jordi Blanes i Vidal & Tom Kirchmaier, 2021. "Face-to-Face Communication in Organizations," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 88(2), pages 574-609.
    13. Arjun Ramani & Joel Alcedo & Nicholas Bloom, 2024. "How working from home reshapes cities," Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, vol. 121(45), pages 2408930121-, November.
    14. repec:osf:socarx:6veyt_v1 is not listed on IDEAS
    15. Shelby R. Buckman & Jose Maria Barrero & Nicholas Bloom & Steven J. Davis, 2025. "Measuring Work from Home," NBER Working Papers 33508, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    productivity; workforce mix; remote jobs; work from home;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J2 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor
    • J3 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs
    • R1 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics

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