With many more of us working from home, some bosses are now starting to think that their employees might be less productive working in an environment where there are more distractions and reasons to lose focus.
Yes, most agree that remote workers need to be highly focused and able to work autonomously if they are to be as productive as onsite employees. Yet there is no credible research or theory to suggest a remote worker can’t contribute just as much as an onsite employee.
Millions of employees prefer to work from home
Technology has fuelled the home working trend, yet there remains hostility on behalf of a few who believe that hybrid and home workers have an easier life! Anyone that works in this way, will know that is not true.
The latest research, according to People Management magazine, confirms that most people that work from home feel and are more productive, and, therefore, happier in themselves. Half of employees feel more productive when working from home, research finds (peoplemanagement.co.uk)
Many employees have had enough of the daily commute, with even more feeling burned out at the end of the working week.
Home working for these people has provided better mental health benefits, and a happier work/home life balance, leading to more work productivity and enthusiasm for their career.
The government want businesses to encourage more remote and hybrid working
Given the difficulties of what many believe to be a long and protracted recession in the UK market, economists are urging businesses to consider using remote working and hybrid working opportunities to fully engage, retain and enthuse their workforce through troubling times ahead.
It has been suggested that 58% of employees in the UK would change their job or even leave their existing industry in favour of hybrid/remote working opportunities in a different industry. (Source: Research by RingCentral, based on a survey of 1,002 UK full-time workers aged 21 to 65 conducted between September and October, focused on gathering views on remote, hybrid and full-time office work).
Employers need to find the right balance between work autonomy and workplace inclusion
Employees prefer it, employers are coming round to the idea, and a happy employee leads to increased productivity, so it all comes down to finding the right way of managing this multi-layered community of people that help to run the modern business.
What are the policies that employers need to put in place if they are to champion home/hybrid working?
1. There need to be clear expectations
Employers need to ensure that employees understand what is expected of them and agree what evidence is required, and when.
With a clear system of expectations in place, any shortfall or lack of productivity can be managed.
2. Opportunities for coming together must be offered
Remote or hybrid workers should be given plenty of opportunities to meet up with colleagues, preferably outside of their usual workspace.
Using an external meeting room or hot desking facility is a good idea as this is a neutral space where the entire workforce can come face-to-face to share ideas, socialise and reach decisions as a team.
3. Have frequent reviews and clear systems for feedback
Organising meetings or systems for feedback with remote workers is vital.
Being clear about the need to provide evidence of productivity is key – whether this be fed back face-to-face at a monthly meeting, or through an app or software program.
4. Encourage remote employees to organise their own workload
Employees who work offsite should be able to organise their own workload and keep it on track (in line with targets, deadlines and company expectations).
With a ‘working from home’ arrangement (or hybrid role), comes the responsibility to take control of your workload and to find a way of working at the highest level.
5. Reward good effort and praise performance
A remote employee needs to feel valued just as much (if not more) as an onsite employee.
Be sure to praise productivity and encourage inclusion by inviting homeworkers to frequent face-to-face meetings.
Whilst Facetime, Zoom and Team meetings all have a role to play, getting together with colleagues (face-to-face) is hugely important if you are to thrive and succeed in a remote role, as this is an opportunity to chat informally, keep up-to-date and maintain good working relationships.
Trust is a key driver of productivity!
Trust remains a key driver in maintaining good relations between employer and employee, for if that is not in place, productivity, enthusiasm and career confidence will be at an all-time low.
According to Clare Kelliher, professor of work and organisation at Cranfield School of Management, “Research evidence shows that working from home is rarely a cause of poor employee performance – if a manager has concerns about employee performance this should be dealt with in the usual way and the cause identified, rather than assuming that going into the workplace more often will solve the problem.”
Productivity is not the problem – peoples’ perceptions of home workers could be!
It seems then that productivity overall is not the problem with remote working.
The key challenge for employers is to ensure that their employees understand what is required of them and to monitor their performance against those targets and expectations. If that is carefully managed, and the right communication systems are in place, remote working is a winner for everyone.
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