DNA TEST OF WORK FROM HOME - RESEARCH REPORT

This continuously growing world suddenly came to a halt by a virus (COVID 19) infection earlier this year, necessitating the need for a nationwide lockdown by the government to contain the spread of the virus through physical distancing. It was a systematically enforced compulsion for companies, resulting in switching to work from home mode.

Though employees have transitioned successfully to remote working, WFH brings its own set of challenges and benefits. We aimed to analyse the various benefits and challenges faced by working professionals in adopting the new working modes and the part played by their respective organizations to make this transition smooth for their professional and personal lives.

Survey Research: DNA TEST ON WORK FROM HOME

Survey Research By Pioneer Management Consultant Pvt Ltd

Survey Participants Details: 423 Working Professionals

Purpose:  To explore work from home effectiveness, organizational and employee preparedness to embrace the new normal. To analyze the benefits and the challenges encountered by the working professionals in adopting to remote working. Role of the organizations in ensuring the mental and physical welling of their employees. The likely impact of Covid-19 on future workplace plans, designs, and practices

Survey Research Insights Summary

Overall 62% - participants responded that they have NEVER had the facility to work from home ever - previously

"Honestly, this is the first time I'm typically working from home, and it's quite different from going out and working in an office environment. My company maintains an excellent working policy. For me, WFH is somewhat convenient as it saves me from the hassle and also saves the commuting time. The flip side is that it has increased the workload & the operating hours.

Now, frequent meetings have taken precedence over personal lives as there is no definite schedule and time frame causing an imbalance. Nevertheless, I know how to manage my work and at the same time maintain a work-life balance. In the WFH scenario, we interact more; in the present circumstances, I have a conversation with my boss for 2-3 hrs. while before we didn't use to interact much. There is increased coordination and involvement from everyone in WFH. 

I would prefer to go to the office as it provides a space for physical interaction with colleagues and superiors at the same time tasks get completed in a specified time frame. Going forward, a balanced combination of WFH and going to the office would help maintain a healthy work-life balance" - Mr. Yogesh Gaur

"Being a professor, I’ve never worked from home before" - Prof. Shija Abhilash

Participants Response on Job Insecurity & Longer Hours

“If work from home is minimizing our physical outgoings, it is also maximizing our working hours, which leads to mental health issues. ” - Engineering Manager 25 Years of Experience

57% of people admitted that they were forced to devote more hours to work than usual

44% of the participants expressed they struggled to get out of the work mode while working from home.

35% of the participants expressed they had to work long hours due to job insecurity

28% of participants reported - salary inconsistencies and irregular pay cuts, an adverse effect on employees 

Life always surprises us, positively or negatively; all we can do is to develop more resilience, stay focussed, keep moving, it can help us to adopt new learnings to reframe negative experiences in more positive ways.

Benefits of Work from Home - A Bliss

Among the various benefits of Work From Home, saving money from travelling expenses stood out with  Overall 68% of participants highlighting it as an important benefit of work from home.

68% of the respondents responded saving money from travelling expenses as an important benefit of WFH.

49% of the participants responded - they could give more time to their family

46% of the participants reported flexible timing as an important benefit of WFH

44% of the respondents reported that they were able to get enough time to rest during the day.

Work-Life Balance - Overall Response

63% of the respondents were able to maintain Work-Life Balance while working from home despite all distractions and challenges.

34% of participants reckoned that their normal sleep-wake cycle was disturbed because of the long working hours and no proper rest.

Work from Home Struggle - Overall Response

57% of participants admitted that their respective organization provided them with necessary work tools required for work, while others have to manage on their own resources.

34% of participants reported - that they had to attend unnecessary meetings as work from home, made a simple 15-20 minutes task at the office, an hour task while working remotely.

33% of participants accounted for significant productivity loss.

21% of participants felt a LACK of TRUST in their work from their organisation

Future Work Preference

Gone are the days when Work From Home was considered an advantage and a dream for Working Professionals. COVID-19 situation gave employees a chance to explore Work From Homelife, though people don’t seem to like it. 

71% of the respondents prefer a combination of Work from Home & Office.

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"I really prefer the combination of both, going to the offices as well as WFH. A structure wherein, the working hours would depend on me, also there will be no fixed day to WFH or vise-versa. Here, productivity would matter the most!" - General Manager  16 Years Experience

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The Negative Impact of WFH on Employees WellBeing

28% of the respondents highlighted that they suffered from mental stress.

36% reported experiencing negative effects on their physical health.

SUGGESTIONS

Recommendations - Adapt to Adjust and Overcome

Trick yourself about the start and end time is what you need to do to avoid overworking. This can be done a few methods such as: -

Involve yourself into some form of relaxation exercises like yoga or meditation to stimulate your mental faculties’ to take care of your mental well- being, it will help to deal with anxiety and depression as there is a lot of uncertainty prevalent.

You need to be more proactive about nurturing relationships when you work from home! Stay connected with family, friends, and support systems using technology like FaceTime, Skype, Google Hangout and other video-based options. Talk about your fears and concerns with people you trust.

Avoid continuous exposure to news, media and social media that may trigger or elevate anxiety, stress, or panic. Stay informed by following few, authoritative resources, but limit media consumption.

Create an office environment when you work, using VPN networks, useful data, office related equipment, etc. It will give you the feeling of working in an office environment.

Embrace that you are safe at home and that you could work and earn!

Steps To Be Taken by Organization for Well- Being of Employees 

Organizations thrive through a sense of belonging, shared purpose, and an inclusive culture.

Team experience is a critical driver of virtual culture—and managers and team leaders have a massive impact on their teams' experiences and performances. Stepping up the confidence-building and motivation Game. Bring the Right Role Model, Promote Wellness, Promoting Informal Interactions and Keep Track, Create Safe Workplace

Reinforce Organizational Culture - Organisations Have to Invest in Building and Fostering Trust, Inclusiveness, Belongingness and Employees Wellbeing as core policy.

Suggestions - Work From Home Setup - What Every Employee Must Have

When it comes to working from home, a decent and planned setup is very important. A properly planned out setup helps bring normalcy and productivity into your work. An improper or cluttered workspace can not only affect your productivity but also affect your health.

It is therefore imperative to have a workspace that facilitates our working and doesn’t have any negative impact on our health. Decluttering your workspace could help you be more productive and less stressed.

So what do you need on your desk?

Apart from the obvious work equipment (laptop, keyboard, mouse, etc), always having these three things on your desk - Water Bottle, A-Plant -a fresh vibe to the place, Natural Light - Work Station placement arrangement to get the natural light.

DNA TEST OF WORK FROM HOME - DOWNLOAD RESEARCH REPORT

Survey Research Team :

Abhishek Chaudhary - Research Project Head

BSc - Chemistry, MBA - Marketing from PIMSR, Mumbai University

A Talent Acquisition Professional by training. Passionate about Human Resources and Market Research, how Market Research can be utilised for the betterment of Human Resources. Enjoys reading fiction books and is also a passionate Aquarist.

Divyansh - Project Management Intern - B.Tech, Electrical-IIT Indore

A geek who likes to learn and explore new things, aspiring to travel around the world.

About the Author

Sarla Sharma  - Managing Director - Pioneer Management Consultant Pvt Ltd (PMCPL) 25 Years of Experience in Recruitment - Connecting Businesses with their People

Founder and Chairwoman - Her Career Foundation | Founder - CEO CLUB |

Marathon Organiser - Run for Diversity Half Marathon

Challenges in life can be used to your advantage. Each challenge holds an opportunity for personal growth, room to grow and advance with self-improvement.

"Get busy living or get busy dying.” — Stephen King.