Working Back To Happiness - Say Goodbye To Loneliness

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Nearly two-thirds of those forced to work from home, don't believe they were more productive. And 19 per cent miss the camaraderie of the workplace.

63%, don’t believe they’re more productive working from home full time, nearly half, 45%, believe they are equally productive working from home or the office.

The figures come from a recent survey of carried out by UK based office software experts, SmartWay2.

36% of office workers really did feel they were more productive working from home, with only 19% saying they felt more productive in the office as they enjoyed being with their colleagues.

The ideal solution seems to be a blend. Just under half of those polled, 45%, say their productivity is the same regardless of where they work and 91% of people expressed a desire to split their time between home and the office.

 

 “Despite Covid disruption, workers are learning how to return to their offices. But like the ever-changing lockdown measures, these results show there is no simple ‘one size fits all’ solution.”

– Steve Vatidis 

Executive Chairman, SmartWay2

 

Covid-safe

"Employers are under pressure to grant greater autonomy to their workforce. But they still have a lot of work to do to convince their teams of the productivity benefits offered by showing up at workplaces,” continues SmartWay2's Vatidis. “Organisations that can provide a Covid-safe working environment, combined with flexibility of scheduling for when workers come into the office, will be at a distinct advantage for managing the upcoming period of change."

 

Communication

Vatidis adds: "Employers need to be able to communicate regularly with employees and provide reassurance on safety measures and flexible working arrangements to make them feel comfortable with the environment.”

 

How long until they are back?

Looking further out, nearly one in five, 18%, also expect employees in their organisation to return to offices by autumn 2021, according to the survey. However, with the current uncertainty and a second wave underway, office flexibility will be key for employers looking to maximise productivity from their workforce, geographically distributed as the situation changes.

 

Picture: Two thirds of employees don’t believe working from home full time makes them more productive.

Article written by Cathryn Ellis
28th October 2020

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