Remote work has been one of the most groundbreaking changes in the workplace since WW2. However, the majority of business leaders, starting with Elon Musk, who mandated a return to the office only to retrieve this decision when faced with a resignation surge.
Why are employees so defiant when it comes to mandatory return to the office, and why managers can’t embrace remote work without fears and doubts?
Remote work has proven beneficial for employees in numerous ways offering much-needed flexibility and work autonomy and improving work-life balance.
And many wonder why many managers ignore these facts and don’t allow their employees to work remotely.
Here are several breaking points that cause disagreements between employees and managers regarding offering remote work opportunities.
Employee Productivity Rates
One of the major aspects of remote work that employees and managers can’t get on the same page is whether remote work boosts or decreases productivity. While employees think that the absence of commute gives them extra time for work, their managers disagree thinking that numerous distractions may ruin their productivity.
Numerous studies have shown that employees are right. According to a survey, 23% of remote workers have nothing against working longer hours at home than in the office. At the same time, 42% of them feel as connected to their colleagues as if they were working on-site. Another study shows that remote workers spend up to seven extra hours working compared to their office-based peers. This proves that employees enjoy the freedom to work where they want and that this increased flexibility positively affects their productivity.
On the flip side, many remote workers are willing to work even when sick or on vacation. This harmful attitude towards work can lead to burnout with devastating consequences on your employees’ mental and physical health and productivity. If you want to keep track of remote employee activities and performance and recognize signs of overworking and prevent remote work burnout, you should invest in advanced remote work software.
This app will show how many hours your employees spend at work and how their productivity fluctuates throughout the day. This insightful data will help you identify early burnout signs that would otherwise go unnoticed.
When to Work From the Office
Another issue that sparks different opinions and misunderstandings between employees and business leaders is employees’ right to choose when to work from home. While employees believe that they can stay at home and work remotely whenever they want, business leaders believe that this behavior will lead to termination eventually.
This severe discrepancy in opinions can stem from the lack of a clear and well-devised remote or hybrid work policy. Developing an effective and highly functional hybrid workplace requires structure and consensus between you and your employees on how this work is going to function. You should be clear about your expectations and employees’ responsibilities regarding the work-from-the-office days.
For example, you can encourage employees to work from the office between Monday and Friday because most employees prefer to work from home on Mondays and Fridays.
But, if you want to attract employees to the office more often, try to create learning and training opportunities that will help them build their skill sets and meaningful interpersonal relationships.
In-person team meetings and collaboration can be crucial for achieving critical company goals, so do your best to make intentional and purposeful hybrid work schedules.
Wrap Up
It’s expected that this massive disruption shift towards hybrid and remote work will cause numerous disagreements between employees and management. But this shift is an ongoing process that you need to adjust to by communicating openly about your expectations and changing your perspective of employee productivity.
A hybrid workplace is a future that can boost overall productivity and business efficiency. For this reason, you need to make an extra effort to get on the same page and work together on optimizing the hybrid workplace.
