Is working from home more productive than being in a company office?

Is working from home more productive than being in the company office? This is a question posed by an article in the Times recently. Read the article here.

A study found last month that the average work day was 48.5 minutes longer when done remotely so surely employers should be thrilled that their employees are actually working longer hours. But not so!

A number of business leaders complained that the work environment was not as effective as before. They mourned the pre-March 2020 style of working. It is unlikely we will ever return to exactly the same work styles as before. 

Jamie Dimon: the CEO of  JP Morgan complained that his workforce were not being as productive as before. He missed the buzz of the full office and noted that productivity goes down on Friday afternoons and Monday mornings. He didn’t say how he was measuring this, however.

Lord Wolfson was frustrated by virtual meetings that were ‘Death by Deck’ – the virtual equivalent of ‘Death by Powerpoint’ that we have had to endure. He also felt that virtual meetings were preventing creative thoughts.

Dame Jayne-Anne Gadhia, the former boss of Virgin Money missed those spontaneous conversations whilst having a coffee or a smoke with other colleagues. However it was interesting to note that her new business has closed its offices in favour of employees working remotely, with the added value of saved rental costs!

Nick Train, a fund manager and co-founder of Lindsell Train was missing his colleagues and the human interaction of chance conversations and encounters.

Some sectors have been able to adapt quickly: In professional services and finance – moving to remote working has been a relatively straight forward but not all roles. And certainly the arts/hospitality/ events industries have been devastated.

Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development asked 1000 employers how they felt about working remotely. The results were equally divided: 29 per cent felt home working had boosted productivity; 28 per cent thought it had reduced productivity; 37 per cent noticed no difference – so these challenges and concerned do not go across all sectors.

WE are having to work differently and whilst we can miss the ‘old ways’ we have to adapt and find ways to deliver  work efficiently in a remote environment. 

I believe these are some of the challenges businesses face from having a remote work force:

·      Individuals being isolated, particularly if the team isn’t established

·      The professional development of less experienced employees and new employees to be integrated.

·      People working in unsuitable conditions/ poor wifi/no office

·      Productivity: over long virtual meetings. People using virtual meetings exactly like face to face meetings without recognising the fatigue and lack of productivity as they aren’t fun effectively

·      Compliance and behaviour online

Solutions:

It is all very well criticising how people are working and their productivity. But work conditions are very different when you are working remotely from when you are in the office surrounded by colleagues. Here are essential actions that employers need to do to support their employees, but also to ensure they are working effectively in a remote environment.

·      Invest in training to facilitate and participate in virtual meetings. I am still hearing of all day virtual meetings being run in similar ways to face to face meetings. We are not able to focus in the same way.

·      Invest in training to deliver virtual presentations. This will avoid the ‘Death by Deck’ that Lord Wolfson complains about. It is the virtual version of Death by Powerpoint and companies have invested in training their employees to present more effectively. Virtual presenting is here to stay, and to avoid Death by Deck, companies need to invest in this training, to ensure they are being well represented in external meetings with clients as well as internally.

·      Checking that individuals are okay as a manager or leader. This week I delivered a virtual workshop to a dynamic organisation. They have all been working remotely for the last six months, and the recent news that restrictions will be for at least six more months had demoralised everyone. As a leader or manager you need to get the work completed by your team, but if they are feeling isolated; worried about their family; struggling with childcare and full time work, you need to listen and support them. Is there a solution to this? Could you recommend any other support or flexible hours? Of course you are not a counsellor, but if you are aware of challenges your team or employees are experiencing; if you are supporting your employees they will be more likely to perform well.

·      Professional development and in particular the career development of young talent and new employees is being affected. We learn from each other, and if you start a company working remotely it is more difficult to ask questions; watch other people and even shadow them. Consciously adding a mentoring scheme where experienced employees support less experienced members of the team is crucial at this time. Employers could also create a support network for newer employees so they can share experiences together. They are less likely to know of other new employees unless they are introduced.

·      The basics: we can always assume that everyone has their own dedicated office at home. A desk, good lighting, comfortable chair, good wifi and uptodate hardware are needed in order to do a good job. Do you know if your employees have these? I know of a number of people sharing a one bedroomed flat with their partner, and one person is having to work in the bedroom with their computer on their lap. How can they concentrate for long periods of time? Rather than assuming everyone has adequate remote working conditions ask them what they need. My neighbour’s company has provided a desk and chair for everyone needing this.

·      Set some ground rules regarding working hours. Do your employees understand the number of hours a week they are expected to work? Do you allow time for lunch breaks? Provide some guidance for this. And for employees who have other responsibilities like childcare, agree with them that provided the work is done, they will do it in the evening. I would recommend that these individuals agree with colleagues the times they aren’t available for meetings but ensure they still get the work completed.

·      Employers also need to create clear guidelines about behaviour whilst working. Spending times on inappropriate websites; ordering shopping or spending too much time on social media in work hours are wasting time. Also making unacceptable comments using work emails is not acceptable. Your HR department should advise you on the wording. Much of this behaviour is not acceptable in an office, but it is worthwhile reminding employees that this still applies when working remotely.

·      Creating opportunities for employees to connect virtually in a less formal atmosphere. Celebrating birthdays, wins, creating virtual events such as a ‘Bake off’ or sweepstake for the Football brings people together. We are social animals and providing chances for your employees to connect on a human level is very important, particularly when people live alone. When I delivered a virtual workshop on resilience and coping this week, the group decided to start arranging a number of different ‘after work’ activities virtually, including book clubs, meeting for a dance class, learning Japanese and celebrating Thanksgiving. This really supports your employees.

Employees could also be more pro-active 

·      If you need specific work related equipment: from a desk to an up to date computer, let your employers know. If you are forced to work in the bedroom as there is nowhere to work in your accommodation, see if your employer can provide a desk and chair. If there are local wifi challenges, ask  your employer to provide  a mobile wifi dongle. Unless you mention these things, your employer won’t know about challenges you have.

·      Whilst you are being paid to work remotely in your home, it does not mean you spend your time on NON-WORK related activities. You have a job to do. Avoid spending your time on social media during the day. Avoid ordering your shopping, betting or other non-work related activities whilst at work, even though you are at home. There are more companies buying monitoring and spy software to watch what their employees are doing. It is intrusive. If you work hard and deliver, your employers are less likely to be tempted to use this software.

·      If you have childcare or other family responsibilities during normal working hours, make sure your colleagues know the times you aren’t available. Also add an automated message to warn people when you are not available. Remember to make up the time in the evening and let your boss know that you are doing this.

·      Reach out to your colleagues. Join in any non-work related activities; this will ensure you have that human connection with your workmates.

We  are being  forced to work in a very different way. We will  never go back to working before March 2020.  We  have to adapt to the new norm and find the most effective ways  to work, deliver  projects and communicate. If you would like more details of how  I could  help you in supporting your employees, contact me.

Susan Heaton-Wright has been supporting hundreds of remote workers globally as well as multi-national companies, to work and communicate efficiently and effectively. She has a number of different interactive virtual workshops and one to one coaching available for leaders and teams. If you would like to discus how I could help you arrange a call.

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