Many people who work full-time say they don't have a life outside of work. After working for 45 hours a week and spending approximately 5 hours commuting, they say there is no time for much else. If you calculate that we have 168 hours a week and subtract work and sleep time, you may find there are plenty of hours left over.

But according to a study carried out by Brigham Young University where they analyzed data from approximately 24,000 IBM employees, the breaking point occurred at 38 hours per week, at which time workers began to feel the conflict between work and family life. But for workers who telecommute, the breaking point occurred at 57 hours.

Conclusion: productivity increases in a flexible work environment. Flexible work options usually result in higher job satisfaction. So if you want your workers to work more, then let them work from home. They don't need to work from home all of the time, but consider that the extra hours they can put in are hours you don't pay for.

Telecommuters are less likely to leave their jobs and don't mind the longer hours as much.