Introduction
Since the pandemic struck, the crisis shut many companies down, forcing their employees to work remotely. Before the pandemic, working from home was an idea that humanity would not buy and rarely thought about it. It's only after Covid-19 that people realised that it's still possible to be productive at home. This has forced the world to discover alternative ways to work without human contact, and this has given work from home a highlight. A survey by Airtasker agrees that working from home not only benefits the employees by eliminating their daily commutes but also favors employers by cutting the costs of operations.
Reduces Commuting Stress
In Australia for example, an average person uses 48 minutes to commute to and from work each day. This is an increase from 40 minutes (23) in 2002 as data from HILDA suggests. This means that workers spend an average of 4.5 hours a week, hence reducing how productive employees can take part at work. Working from home eliminates this stress, enabling workers to operate from their comfort. Studies show that medical professionals link over 30 minutes of daily to and from work commuting to increased levels of anxiety and stress.
Promotes Autonomy
Remote working gives workers autonomy to work in the best way they feel comfortable. This is critical because it enables employees to choose how and when they want the tasks done and therefore they don't work under much pressure. The Jabra Hybrid Ways of Working 2022 Global Report found that employees with full autonomy to choose where and when they work anonymously report a better work experience when compared to those with limited or low autonomy who report reduced productivity. Data from Harvard Business Review shows that 64% of Gen Z and 63% of Millennials consider their laptops, headset, and a strong internet connection as their office and can work comfortably at home.
Reduces Productivity
Working from home may be a new concept in the business world but it offers its disadvantages as well. Recent studies have shown that working from home reduces productivity by over 20%. This problem arises from the fact that remote work requires constant monitoring and coordination which may not be achieved when employees are operating remotely.
Poor Customer Services
In most cases, the time is usually spent on attending meetings or responding to questions and not on actual work, hence reducing productivity. Also, working from home may make employees focus on themselves more than the customers, hence rendering poor services such as delayed responses and end up missing important information from such customers.
Difficulty in Working Unmonitored
Most employers usually agree to the fact that it’s difficult for them to call their workers back, which creates redundancy of work. In return, this makes if difficult for such employers to reap maximum benefits considering the huge amount of investment they put into these workers. Unlike working in the office, working from home may be difficult to monitor breaks. At the office or the workplace, it’s easier to constantly remind employees to be on the right track and perform as expected. This is almost impossible with remote work.
Conclusion
Working from home offers many significant advantages that can help improve the company when well utilized. It reduces commuting stress, gives employees autonomy, creates work-life balance, and may save both the company and the workers on costs used while at work physically. However, remote working offers its fair share of problems that may reduce employee productivity. Constant breaks, lack of motivation, distractions, and lack of community and teamwork may negatively affect these employees who may then end up performing poorly.
