Working from home – Positives and Negatives
The shift towards more flexible working arrangements has been evolving over the last few years with developments in technology making mobile working easier than ever. However, the Coronavirus has meant that a much higher number of people are now working from home.
In light of the recent reduction of restrictions globally companies are looking to start migrating staff back into the office so I thought I would create this article to educate companies and staff on the benefits and drawbacks of remote working.
- Better work/life balance - A common complaint among most employees in today’s society is the difficulty of finding that balance between work and life. Working full time in the office only allows for minimal time during the week to spend with family and loved ones. On days where there are no meetings to attend, employees can wear any clothing they please which includes pyjamas. Greater sense of comfort and more balance between work life and home life lead to a reduction of the overall level of stress.
- Higher productivity - People who have worked remotely have reported more stable and increased productivity while working from home VS coming into the office. According to a report published during 2020 the greatest boosts in productivity came in April and May which be at the height of the pandemic. Much of this was due to the elimination of office commutes and in person meetings.
- Timeliness - When working from home factors that cause lateness are eliminated or reduced. These factors include being stuck in traffic and oversleeping. The ability to simply roll out of bed and begin work is a huge saver in time.
- Cost saving - Remote working teams enable business’ to rent smaller office spaces or even move to a fully remote basis. Cloud-based operations save organisations on things such as rental costs and office utilities.
- Distractions - While working from home can increase productivity, for some it can have a completely opposite effect as working from home can offer a potentially endless number of distractions. Factors that could hinder productivity could be crying children, household chores and barking dogs. It is very important when working from home to have a space dedicated to just working without distraction.
- Confidentiality issues - All organisations must compete with the possibility that there could be confidentiality breaches with employees working remotely. This could happen through things such as confidential discussions being heard by someone in the same household or someone seeing sensitive documents on an employee’s laptop. It is very important and the responsibility of companies working from home to express the importance of confidentiality to its staff.
- Isolation - Remote working especially for those who live alone can be more of a negative than a positive. These employees can experience things such as loneliness and feel feelings of isolation. That human interaction when coming into office for some is essentially their main source. Sometimes people may only exchange greetings, but this is still in-person social interaction which working from home eliminates the need for creating these negative feelings
Transitioning back to office
As I mentioned at the start of this article businesses are looking for people to begin transitioning back into office. This can happen on a full time or a hybrid approach. Some employees may welcome this with open arms and them others may turn up their noses at the idea of returning to offices. It is the employer’s duty to ensure the transition is as seamless and smooth as possible for employees as possible.
Here are some ways to numb the sting:
- Be open and transparent when communicating
- Explain why the transition back into office is necessary
- Allow employees to offer input on how to make the transition as easy and smooth as possible
Whether its home based or office based work that you prefer Pearson Carter have an abundance of roles with fantastic and reputable clients looking to onboard. If you are looking for a new role, get in touch! We will have something to suit what you’re looking for.
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