The work-from-home workforce is evolving as more people find ways to work remotely without interacting with others. Businesses have to deal with most non-essential employees finishing their work from home. Is it possible to be more productive at home during a pandemic?
Based on remote work productivity statistics, 70% of individuals engaged in remote work amid the pandemic found virtual meetings to be less stressful, and 64% expressed a preference for hybrid meetings, according to a survey.
In the last several months, several studies have demonstrated that working remotely from home is more productive than working in an office. Working from home allows one to work an extra day each week, save 10 minutes per day of inactivity, and increase productivity by 47% on average.
Those who work from home throughout the workweek tend to be more productive, put in longer hours, and accomplish more. This doesn't sound right at all. How much working from home helps you focus more? Discover how productive individuals do more when working in a flexible environment than in an office.
Working From Home Can Result In A 13% Gain In Performance
According to a 9-month research conducted by Stanford University with 16,000 participants, working remotely boosts productivity by 13%. The reason for this performance improvement was making more calls per minute, which was linked to a more comfortable and quiet work environment, and working longer hours per shift because of fewer breaks and sick days.
Employee job satisfaction increased in this survey, and attrition rates decreased by 50%.
Working From Home Can Boost Productivity By 77%
According to a survey, 77% of people who work remotely at least a few times a month report higher productivity, with 24% producing more work in the same amount of time and 30% producing more work in less time.
Pre-COVID
Numerous enterprises hesitate to embrace remote work due to concerns about the perceived challenges of office work, fearing a potential decline in productivity. This isn't incorrect. It's simple to become sidetracked, put off tasks, or work less when working from home than in an office.
According to a Bureau of Labour Statistics research, 24% of employed individuals completed part or all of their work at home on the days they worked, while 82% of employed individuals completed some or all of their work in their place of employment.
Financial operations and business management workers (33% and 37%) were found to be more likely than workers in other occupations to conduct some or all of their duties from home on workdays when employed.
According to a study, employees assigned tedious duties at work performed more quickly and effectively. When employees don't appreciate what they're working towards in the workplace, their focus can quickly shift toward other aspects of life that come up outside.
However, this research found that more creative work produced fruitful outcomes; otherwise, tasks would be completed faster with fewer restrictions.
According to this study, working from home impedes performance across an "office." Each worker would work equally hard as others - no one wants to put in more hours while others take advantage of them.
According to a more recent study, productivity decreases with the number of hours worked from home. The productivity of people who work from home full-time (8 hours per day) is 70% lower than those who do not.
Read More: Maximize Collaboration and Productivity: How Much Can a Mobile Workforce Save You?
Post-COVID
Since 2012, much has changed concerning post-COVID compliance, work remote capabilities, ease, and quality. Survey results within the past several months demonstrate that working from home increases productivity while speeding project turnaround time.
The first six months of stay-at-home orders, from March to August, were compared to the same period in 2019 by Great Place to Work regarding employee productivity. Working from home resulted in either stability or increased productivity, based on a two-year study including 800,000 employees. According to Prodoscore, productivity has increased by 47% since March (as compared to March and April 2019), and they have figured out when people are most productive.
According to the survey, employees are most productive between 10:30 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. While the typical workday still runs from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., more employees keep in touch via email and CRM software. Only 65% of Americans, according to a Stanford survey, have internet speeds high enough to support video conversations. 26% of Americans work at their employer's physical site, whereas 42% of Americans work from home.
According to an Airtasker poll, employees who work from home take more breaks, work 1.4 extra days per month, and avoid work by 15% less often. Employees who work from home report being less distracted by their coworkers, conversing about non-work-related issues for 30 minutes less, and speaking with management for 7% less time.
The New York Times interviewed senior Chegg executive Nathan Schultz regarding the company's productivity now that its employees are staying at home. His initial reaction was to monitor the work of his staff continuously, but as soon as he started to step back, output increased, and staff members began finishing projects ahead of schedule.
The current increase in productivity does not guarantee that it will continue in this manner. According to the same NYT piece, staff at certain businesses are having difficulty adjusting to the absence of social interaction. Over time, employee mental health will impair productivity, decreasing staff satisfaction.
During the first few months of the quarantine, companies such as Microsoft, Affirm, and Splunk experienced a significant increase in productivity. However, over time, the isolation of working from home hurt both job happiness and productivity. For this reason, many businesses are adopting a hybrid work approach.
What Makes An Office Different From A Home?
Surveys and academics are using the information to understand better how working from home might increase productivity and improve working hours. According to an Owl Labs study, 40% of businesses paid their employees a one-time reimbursement for work-related expenses incurred when they worked from home.
According to the same poll, only 36% of respondents think working alone is best done in an office. Several variables differ in a home environment, which may explain why certain employees perform better there.
No commute. Working from home saves time, whether it takes ten minutes or an hour to commute to work. If workers don't have to spend time driving to the office, they can begin the workday sooner. According to the Airtasker poll, workers who choose not to commute to work save an average of 8.5 hours of free time every week. Over a year, this comes to 408 hours.
Not having to commute also means having more time for pastimes like gardening and backyard chicken farming, which have become increasingly popular since 2020.
Less water cooler talk. Whether or not it's business-related, employees who work from home tend to communicate with their coworkers less. According to Airtasker, 70% consider professional connections vital to completing tasks. You spend less time with people when you work from home.
More Exercise. Remote workers can use their spare time to exercise because they don't have to commute and have fewer social opportunities. Frequent exercise is an excellent way to reduce stress and benefit physical and mental health. People who work from home claim to exercise for thirty minutes longer each workweek.
Maximum productivity. To be as productive as possible, 86% of workers prefer to work alone, according to a survey done by Ask.com.
Working From Home And Maximizing Productivity
Working from home instead of an office is a significant transition. Where can you work effectively from home? How do you maintain concentration? When are you supposed to begin and end? How will this impact your home life?
Leveraging the benefits of remote work, the following guidance will empower you or your team members to thrive while working from home:
Establish a cosy work area. Office work helps to maintain your focus and direction. Whether you put a desk behind the sofa or convert an additional room into your office, try replicating this workspace in your house. The area should be cosy, free of extra screens (TV, Xbox, etc.), and equipped with all the tools you need to finish your work.
Stay organized. It would help to utilize a day planner or adopt a new organizing technique to keep on track. Making a weekly work schedule with a list of what you need to do is advised. Maintaining your commitment to the timetable will assist you in developing a routine and consistency.
Commit to more minor but intense work intervals. When you concentrate hard for shorter periods, you can produce more. Time how long you can work for in a couple of hours before becoming sidetracked. For instance, if you can work for thirty minutes without getting sidetracked, stick to this schedule the entire day. Set an internet timer for thirty minutes and work without interruption after every break.
Take a break. Regular pauses might help your brain unwind and concentrate again. According to 37% of remote workers surveyed by Airtasker, taking regular breaks is the most excellent method to stay productive. Use your break to grab a bite to eat, sip water, walk outside, or see your loved ones. A remote worker's break period is typically 22 minutes long throughout the day.
Schedule a virtual commute. The New York Times claims that the isolation and lack of social interaction that come with working from home are the most challenging aspects. Checking in with coworkers throughout your daily commute might encourage social interaction and help you concentrate on the day's tasks.
Why Are Remote Workers Expected To Do Better Than Those Who Work In Offices?
Remote workers are free of office distractions and, hence, are more productive. According to recent surveys, 65% of workers report feeling more focused and productive while not working. The lack of water break talk and office distractions is one of the critical causes of this.
The advantage of working remotely is that one may now customize their workspace. This allows them to maximize their space as they see fit to increase effectiveness and efficiency. Furthermore, remote workers put in more excellent hours at work compared to office workers.
Remote workers are more engaged. Nobody enjoys a long commute. It is well-recognized that it hurts a person's emotional and physical well-being. Remote workers can spend that time with friends and family or efficiently set up and terminate their workdays instead of wasting it travelling back and forth from the workplace for hours at a time.
Employees who work remotely are also more flexible and free to pursue interests outside of work. Additionally, following a break, they typically recover more quickly and resume work with full vitality. The following is a summary of the advantages the WFH arrangement offers your employees:
- More time to be with friends and family.
- Availability of a more healthful diet.
- Freedom to organize their day and work whenever best fits them.
Employers gain from this as it results in happier and more motivated staff who reduce employee attrition rates.
Online collaboration tools have further accelerated productivity and efficiency. Remote work collaboration tools have transitioned from being optional to becoming indispensable in the era of remote work, despite their existence long before the pandemic. Utilizing such applications and software may enable remote workers to increase productivity while saving time through more effective collaboration and team communication, keeping everyone informed on progress toward goals, and holding one another responsible.
These are some of the top apps for team collaboration you should consider using.
- Trello: This program allows users to make and manage lists in a Kanban style.
- Slack: Slack is a tool for communication that enables groups to establish direct messaging and dedicated servers.
- Basecamp: This web-based application is intended for team communication and project management.
Remote workers are great communicators and team players. Studies have indicated that communication issues are as complex to avoid in office settings as when working remotely. Working remotely has improved relationships and more talkative colleagues; people today are much more conscious of their online communication, so remote workers frequently take the initiative during conversations to clarify anything unclear or make sure mistakes don't happen again.
Conclusion
Working from home may provide more work-life balance and productivity benefits than the standard office cubicle environment. Our current epidemic has altered this dynamic; more businesses than ever before are opting for work-from-home solutions as part of their workflow strategies. Ensure your workers remain productive for months by ensuring they are well-groomed, organized and comfortable in their working environments.
