DP20262 Remote Work, Employee Mix, and Performance
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—as well as 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 that avoided the background noise present in the office. Third, fully remote employees who received initial in-person training exhibited higher long-run productivity and lower attrition rates. This underscores the advantages of in-person onboarding for fully remote workers.
