Interestingly enough, science suggests that money isn’t always the best way to motivate workers and that employees can actually perform better by working less.

? A recent survey of 2,000 full-time employees conducted by Morning Consult showed that Americans today would rather have a life outside the office than a lofty salary. And the biggest factor in achieving a better work-life balance is having the flexibility to work from home or take time off. The whole of 48% of respondents said that a flexible work schedule is the biggest factor to stay with their current employer.

? Another research, done by Harvard Business School Assistant Professor Ashley V. Whillans, showed the same results. Whillans and her team conducted a survey with 115,000 employees and found that providing intangible non-cash benefits, like flexible work options or the ability to choose assignments, led to much stronger job satisfaction.

“If you allow an employee to work at home, you help employees feel like you trust them to get their work done where they want to get it done,” Whillans says. “That is enormously satisfying to them — and it motivates them to work even harder.”