Business
70% of Americans Aged 18-34 Prefer Employers Who Allow Them to Web Commute
By Citrix Systems, Inc.
Feb 19, 2008 - 10:31:27 AM

A study entitled “Web Commuting & the American Workforce, ” commissioned by Citrix Online, a division of Citrix Systems, Inc., indicates that U.S. workers aged 18-34 prefer flexible working conditions 2:1 over other age groups. In fact, 70% of survey respondents agreed that working remotely would be a welcome opportunity. In an era where acquiring and retaining good employees is a challenge, and the workforce is becoming increasingly young and mobile, offering the ability to Web commute can serve as a competitive edge for recruiters.

“Web commuter ” is a new term applied to the growing number of people performing at least part of their jobs from virtually anywhere, at any hour of the day, thanks to technology that allows them to “take their office with them ” wherever they go. The national Web commuter survey, conducted by the polling company, inc. shows that:

• Although 23% of American workers regularly work from an offsite location, using Web technology to do their jobs, 62% of those who don ’t currently Web commute agreed they would like to do so.
• Respondents aged 18-34 were more apt than most to look forward to controlling their own schedules, while 35-44 year olds said they would prize more time with family.
• Overall, the younger the respondent, the more apt he or she was to perceive value in online tools and services that enable them to work remotely.

The difference between the values expressed by younger workers versus others makes sense, given the proportionally higher facility with the Internet among Generations X and Y than among older workers.

“As Baby Boomers retire, employers will be forced to compete for younger workers, for whom technology is a native tongue, ” said Kellyanne Conway, CEO and president of the polling company, inc. “Offering the ability to Web commute is an easy way to provide a valued benefit to this age group. ”

The polling company survey was sponsored by Citrix Online, a provider of easy-to-use, secure and affordable Web-based services for remote computer access and online collaboration. Citrix Online coined the term “Web commuting ” to describe the behavior uncovered in the survey.

Survey Methodology

the polling company ™, inc. conducted a recent nationwide telephone survey of 600 American adults (18+) who are currently in the workforce or have plans to enter the workforce within three years with an oversample of 100 small business owners. Interviews were collected September 14-18, 2007 at a Computer-Assisted Telephone Interviewing (CATI) facility using live callers. The sample was drawn utilizing Random Digit Dial (RDD) technology that ensures that every household in America with a landline telephone has an equal chance of being called. Potential respondents were then screener to ensure they met the survey requirements for participation. Sampling controls were employed to ensure representative and proportional numbers of respondents were interviewed by demographic characteristics such as race, age, gender, and geographic region, as those characteristics are reported by the latest available U.S. Census Bureau statistics.

The original survey instrument contained 18 questions including seven demographic inquiries. The final questionnaire was approved by the client prior to fielding. The margin of error for the main sample of 600 adults survey is calculated at +/- 4.0% at the 95% confidence interval meaning that, in 19 out of 20 cases, the data collected would differ by no more than 4 percentage points were the entire population of American adults (18+) in the workforce or planning to return to the workforce within three years surveyed. The margin of error for the small business sample¹ is +/- 6.8%. Margins of error for subgroups are higher.

¹ The Small Business sample includes both the 113 interviews with small business professionals collected in the main sample plus the 100 additional interviews collected in the oversample.