--- title: 'Remote Workers Actually Do Have More Fun: Study' description: Long commutes are so 2019. WFH employees are now using that time to attend social events, eat out and exercise, according to one analysis. authors: - name: Sarah Hansen role: Senior Writer url: https://money.com/author/sarah-hansen/ bio: Sarah Hansen is a senior writer at Money covering all things personal finance. Previously, she covered economic policy and capital markets on the breaking news desk at Forbes. education: Northwestern University, New York University at_money_since: 2021 articles: 347 covers: - Business - Banking - Career Advice - Credit - Credit Cards - Economy and Politics - Education - Health and Wellness - Housing - Insurance - Investing - Lifestyle - Loans - Mortgages - Personal Finance - Professional Services - Retirement - Shopping - Taxes social: - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-m-hansen/ former_staff: true published: '2022-10-24T15:45:52.000Z' modified: '2024-01-10T13:07:08.000Z' section: Business tags: - News word_count: 368 canonical: https://money.com/remote-workers-more-fun/ type: NewsArticle source: structured-blocks --- > **Disclosure:** We research all brands listed and may earn a fee from our partners. Research and financial considerations may influence how brands are displayed. Not all brands are included. [Learn more](https://money.com/page/disclaimer/). ![Woman relaxing and exercising while she works remotely from her home computer](https://img.money.com/2022/10/News-Remote-Work-More-Fun-Says-Study.jpg?crop=0px%2C183px%2C2880px%2C1620px&quality=85) Americans who [work from home](https://money.com/work-from-home-forever/) are saving a collective 60 million hours of commuting time each day — and they’re using the extra time for fun, not work. That’s according to a [new analysis](https://libertystreeteconomics.newyorkfed.org/2022/10/what-have-workers-done-with-the-time-freed-up-by-commuting-less/?campaign_id=4&emc=edit_dk_20221021&instance_id=75217&nl=dealbook®i_id=177004868&segment_id=110605&te=1&user_id=30477d4d1869cf63cd11b071daaa2ae3) from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. The researchers looked at data from the American Time Use Survey, an annual Bureau of Labor Statistics poll, to learn more about how full-time [remote workers](https://money.com/work-from-home-option-tied-income/) and workers on hybrid schedules — who comprise some 15% and 30% of all full-time employees in the United States, respectively — spend the hours they're no longer devoting to travel. The results? The New York Fed discovered that remote workers allocate just 35% of the time they're saving on commuting to their jobs. They also spend more of the day on non-work activities, meaning that they actually work less overall than their [in-office counterparts](https://money.com/return-to-office-stay-home/). Younger workers tended to allocate more of their extra time towards fun activities like social events, going out to restaurants and bars and exercising, the Fed’s researchers found. They also spent more time with people outside their households during those activities. Older employees, on the other hand, were more likely to devote their extra time to childcare, household maintenance and repairs, and preparing meals. All age groups reported getting more sleep. Those are only some of the perks of remote work. One recent survey by videoconferencing company Owl Labs found that workers who commute to an office spend [twice as much](https://money.com/working-office-vs-working-remote-costs/) on work-related expenses compared to remote workers — more than $5,000 extra over the course of a year. In other words, working from home can save workers some serious cash. After all that, it’s no wonder that workers [overwhelmingly prefer](https://news.gallup.com/poll/355907/remote-work-persisting-trending-permanent.aspx) remote or hybrid schedules to full-time office work. In fact, a [survey](https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/real-estate/our-insights/americans-are-embracing-flexible-work-and-they-want-more-of-it) conducted this spring by consulting firm McKiney found that the desire for a flexible working arrangement was one of the top three reasons people were looking for a new job. 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