🔒CT ranks among best states for work-location flexibility

Connecticut ranks as one of the top 10 states in work-location flexibility, according to a recent Flex Index study.

The study found that 82% of Connecticut employers offered at least some remote work options, based on employee surveys and publicly available data.

Connecticut tied with New York for sixth place in terms of workplaces that offered the most flexibility. The top states were Massachusetts, Washington and Oregon, where 86% of businesses allowed employees to work from home at least part of the time.

Most states offering location flexibility were in the West and Northeast. Texas ranked No. 10, with 79% of companies providing that perk.

The least flexible states were in the South and Midwest. In Alabama, the most rigid state, 40% of companies required employees to work in the office full time.

Other states in the top 10 least-flexible category were Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Kansas, Oklahoma, Indiana, Nevada, Tennessee and Nebraska — where at least 38% of employers offered no remote working options.

Memphis, Tennessee was the least flexible metropolitan area, with 51% of companies requiring full-time work in the office.

In Connecticut, the Bridgeport metro area had the highest rate of work-from-home friendly companies at 87%, placing it in the top 10 most flexible regions in the country.

San Jose, California; Austin, Texas; and San Francisco were the top three most flexible metros, with 88% or more of businesses offering remote work.

Days in office

Nationally, the study found that smaller companies were more likely to offer fully flexible work options. Among businesses with fewer than 500 employees, 76% were fully flexible, meaning employees may choose how often and what days they show up.

Only 16% of companies with more than 25,000 employees were fully flexible. Most large companies offered hybrid options (59%) and one-quarter required employees to work in the office full time.

Hybrid policies set a minimum amount of time in the office, with some mandating specific days of the week, and others letting employees choose.

The study also drew a distinction among industries. Jobs in the technology, media, entertainment and insurance industries had the highest rates of work-location flexibility. In the technology field, 97% of companies offered that option.

Jobs in the service industry were more likely to require in-person work. Among companies in the restaurant and food-service industries, 71% required employees to show up full time.

That was followed by 61% in the hospitality industry, 55% in education, 54% in retail and apparel, and 50% in manufacturing and logistics.

Among companies that offered flexibility, 90% mandated two or three days a week in the office. The average number of in-person work days required was 2.56.