Over the last couple of months, almost all “non-essential” businesses have been encouraging employees to work remotely. But does remote work affect productivity? To find this out, Valoir (a renowned research firm) conducted an extensive survey in which the participants were those people who are working remotely due to the ongoing pandemic. Valoir made the study results public in a May 2020 report.
When it comes to Productivity, a fall of just 1% was observed. This drop is surely impressive since one of the major concerns associated with remote work was that the productivity would fall drastically. However, a 1% decrease is merely 0.5% percent of the total US GDP. Moreover, 20% of workers claimed that there hasn’t been any change in their productivity since the lockdown guidelines took effect.
The survey also showed that the average length of a workday is around 10 hours. Interestingly, over 40% of the survey participants voted in favor of working from home in the future as well.
Now, let’s shed light on Technology. When almost 3% of an average working day is spent on tackling technological challenges related to remote work, it’s high time for companies to improve their digital infrastructure for better workflow, worker mobility, and stable access. The survey in question showed that nearly one in every eight workers is utilizing online collaborations and sharing programs such as Google Docs and Slack.
Distractions can’t be counted out when it comes to working from home. Nearly one in every third worker (32%) cited social media as the most distracting element. Children took the second spot with 24%. In order to ensure maximum performance while working with distractions, people are mostly working for 10 hours daily (minus the weekends).
While remote working is fun, there are some underlying Concerns that workers have. Due to economic uncertainty, people have become thoughtful about their financial future. And this is a concern shared by 27% of the workers. Getting sick while working remotely turned out to be a concerning factor for 23% of the workers. Illness of family or loved one, recession, and company viability took the next three spots in the list of concerns for workers operating remotely.
In the end, a 1% decrease in productivity reflects how it doesn’t matter much whether people work from offices or homes. The report stated that despite how long the current situation lasts, it will leave a lasting impact on how people perceive an average workday for years to come.
The report also made a very good point that workers should take it upon themselves to establish a considerable work-life balance. Additionally, advice for people to become technologically self-sufficient and work on being more collaborative was also stated in the report.
Read next: The Art Of Managing Momentum (infographic)
When it comes to Productivity, a fall of just 1% was observed. This drop is surely impressive since one of the major concerns associated with remote work was that the productivity would fall drastically. However, a 1% decrease is merely 0.5% percent of the total US GDP. Moreover, 20% of workers claimed that there hasn’t been any change in their productivity since the lockdown guidelines took effect.
The survey also showed that the average length of a workday is around 10 hours. Interestingly, over 40% of the survey participants voted in favor of working from home in the future as well.
Now, let’s shed light on Technology. When almost 3% of an average working day is spent on tackling technological challenges related to remote work, it’s high time for companies to improve their digital infrastructure for better workflow, worker mobility, and stable access. The survey in question showed that nearly one in every eight workers is utilizing online collaborations and sharing programs such as Google Docs and Slack.
Distractions can’t be counted out when it comes to working from home. Nearly one in every third worker (32%) cited social media as the most distracting element. Children took the second spot with 24%. In order to ensure maximum performance while working with distractions, people are mostly working for 10 hours daily (minus the weekends).
While remote working is fun, there are some underlying Concerns that workers have. Due to economic uncertainty, people have become thoughtful about their financial future. And this is a concern shared by 27% of the workers. Getting sick while working remotely turned out to be a concerning factor for 23% of the workers. Illness of family or loved one, recession, and company viability took the next three spots in the list of concerns for workers operating remotely.
In the end, a 1% decrease in productivity reflects how it doesn’t matter much whether people work from offices or homes. The report stated that despite how long the current situation lasts, it will leave a lasting impact on how people perceive an average workday for years to come.
The report also made a very good point that workers should take it upon themselves to establish a considerable work-life balance. Additionally, advice for people to become technologically self-sufficient and work on being more collaborative was also stated in the report.
Read next: The Art Of Managing Momentum (infographic)
