The effectiveness of WFH policies boils down to whether a company is able to manage its remote staff the way it would with those in the office.
With his aversion to working from home, Elon Musk might be on to something. According to a recent survey by Jobstore, office-based workers are at least 50% more productive than those who work from home.
Home-based workers were found to be 30% more idle during their work hours than their office-based counterparts. This could be because employees who are physically in the workspace are better able to learn from their peers, or might simply have better focus to deliver what is expected of them โ especially with colleagues and superiors potentially keeping an eye on their output.
The bottom line is, those in the office produce more output per hour.
Amazingly, the survey found that home workers tended to take longer to get to the kitchen and back than office-based workers on their lunch break! More precisely, those who work from home notched a higher percentage of hours clocked out on breaks.
Other issues that impact on WFH productivity include slower internet connectivity, and workersโ inability to get timely responses from colleagues or assistance when they get stuck. It is hard for managers to see and address these issues.
That said, itโs not likely that remote working will completely fall out of favour anytime soon. After all, it allows companies to save on office space, hire people in lower-cost regions, and source candidates from a broader pool.
Ultimately, it all boils down to whether a company is able to manage its work-from-home staff the way they would with those in the office.
Managers need better tools to help them stay abreast of what their workers are doing, while those at home need to understand how they continue to fit within the organisation, and be provided with the tools to remain engaged in their work.
