Does Working from Home Work?
I have predominantly worked from home since my son was born 3 years ago. Before that, the very idea of working from home was a taboo subject and not one my employers would have readily agreed to and even today, most of the clients I recruit for do not agree that the ‘working from home’ policy works. Sitting here writing this article in the sunshine, I'm not sure I 100% agree, but I have to wonder, does working from home work?
There are the obvious benefits to working from home which countless statistics and articles herald: reduced commuting time, increased productivity, fewer sick days, greater staff retention, a wider talent pool etc, but is this all true, for all people? Who should we allow to work from home?
If I think back to my early twenties, if I'd been allowed to WFH then, would I have been productive or would I have been distracted by the cats, box sets and a glass of rose with a friend over lunch? I have to say I don't think I'd be where I am today if I had had a more flexible working environment. I work my socks off at home, because I have to pay the mortgage, sure, but also because previous mentors have instilled in me an inherent work ethic which won't let up. I learnt a lot from early mornings, late nights and hard graft; ‘work hard, play hard’, was my mantra, and still would be given a babysitter, more sleep and a bottle of red. Louis Mosca (CEO American Management Services, Inc.) in his Forbes article, begs the question, "Ask yourself: Name one CEO of a Fortune Company that came up through the ranks by way of his or her kitchen table??"
I believe young people want to be promoted, want to belong to a community, and want to be mentored. I believe that you need to be in the office to reap those benefits.
There are also more downsides to WFH; lack of exposure & being overlooked for promotion (...out of site, out of mind...), peer resentment, lack of collaborative brain storming and most importantly potential mental health issues. I confess that found it extremely hard going back to work, alone at home, after my son was born. It takes huge mental commitment to work alone and it's not something I recommend to everyone.
However, the workplace is everchanging, and while some may view remote work as counter-productive, I believe for some, it has huge advantages. The real problem isn’t remote employees; it’s disengaged ones. Good employees working in the right job will work well from home. Thanks to advances in technology, employees can stay more connected than ever and for the right people, productivity, engagement, and quality of life will increase.
Ultimately your business is only as good as your people. As employers, we have to question what environment you get the best out of them, as a team and as an individual.
Experienced International Finance Professional
3 年Well said, Leah - the problem is not remote workers, but disengaged workers. I've been working from home since 2017 - my mother -in-law in Poland has Alzheimers and it would be unfair to my wife to put all the care burden on her. So, I spend alternate months in Poland and Scotland and have had no complaints from any of my clients. The fact is that if you are engaged it really doesn't matter where the work is done - I've had two six-month lockdowns away from the UK in the last two years, and it has made no difference to my output. I agree that new recruits benefit from absorbing the culture of, and, by, being in the workplace - but that has not always been possible recently and it has been part of my job to work with and manage the people in my team so that we all get the best possible outcomes. The technology is there to enable successful remote working, so why not use it? It appears that a lot of managers are coming to the same conclusion.
Oski Group - CommodityTrading . Agri-Business . Risk Intelligence. Oski Bio-Energy Corp.
5 年If ever given thw opportunity to work from home..Grab it! Ensure your contribution at work is realised and you impact on your direct colleagues..miss out on friday night drinks and all probably ...in my opinion seeing them lil ones before bet time and after school is priceless ...
Project Manager
5 年My roles over the past ten years have meant working in an office as well as working from home certain number days of the week some weeks more at home others more in an office. I like the flexibility it provides and not being tied to a desk from 9-5. The nature of my job means being flexible and sometimes working “outside of normal working hours”. I would like to think that employers see it as a benefit and more take on board the home working ethos.
Real Estate & Finance Director Experienced in Solutions-Driven Efforts to Maximize Portfolio Values, Delivering Strong Financial Performance
5 年It depends on your situation. Since I am a Baby Boomer most of my career It was required that I should be in the office. Over the last 10 years with the advance of technology, I can be more productive at home. My kids are all adults now and there are no distractions (other than the dog barking at the mailman). Recently I asked some colleagues why they did not work from home more often and they told me that their young children would distract them. You have to look at it from each generation’s (4 in the current workplace) perspective. I still prefer to meet people in person so they can see the real thing!
Senior Product Marketer; Author: 'The Product Launch Checklist' available on Amazon
5 年Yes. Multiple articles have been written about this topic. Try living in Metro NJ/NYC and having to deal with the transit commute to NYC vs sitting at your home computer at 8:30 AM. You can probably say the same for driving in Atlanta or Los Angeles vs sitting at your computer at 8:30 AM. I never got Marissa Mayer's decision at Yahoo to make all employees come to the office. In California's Silicon Valley that probably added 2-3 hours each way to a worker's commute.