Atlanta has earned one of the top spots in the Microsoft annual Work Without Walls survey on how America's top cities support remote workers.
Other cities that figure into the Top 15 list are: Dallas (#2), Boston (#6), Washington (#7), Houston #9), New York (#11) and Philadelphia (#12).
The survey ranked the cities on an index, derived from responses from over 4,500 workers in 15 cities on such preferences as teleworking, company policies supporting remote working and availability of technologies enabling it.
The top-ranked Atlanta got 109.07 points on the index. Dallas received 105.91.
The top reason for telework is to avoid transportation challenges, including soaring gas prices and long commutes, according to the survey. Striking a better balance between work and home priorities was No. 2.
"Telework is no longer a company perk for employees but a business imperative," said Ron Markezich, corporate vice president of Microsoft's U.S. Enterprise and Partner Group. "Ten years ago, it was seen more as an employee benefit. Today, businesses around the world are seeing telework as a necessity."
Telecommuting is still a bit of an unknown for some companies. Still, the survey found that employers are willing to offer only four days of telecommute a month, whereas employees seek nine days.
Here is the recap on Atlanta:
#1 Atlanta: 'Friendliest City for Telework'
Workers in this city work remotely five days per month, one more than the national average, and report the "highest support levels from colleagues." Also, Atlanta reported the "worst commute" among the surveyed cities.
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