I recently wrote a LinkedIn post about Working From Home (WFH) that I expected to create some lively debate.  Although the post had a lot of views it did not garner the level of engagement that I was expecting – mainly because I thought my views would go against the grain and be viewed as slightly controversial! 

It went something like this…..

“I've seen a lot of posts on LinkedIn about how pleased businesses are that their teams have maintained their level of productivity working from home. Does that mean that they can do their jobs effectively from home or that they were equally unproductive working in the office?

I'm a firm believer in having a separate work/home space. I don't find I'm hugely effective working from home and enjoy having an office to work in to keep these two elements of my life apart. That doesn't mean I'm not an advocate of flexible working and working from home, but I do think that (on the most part) it should be a combination of both.

For those pleased about how their team's productivity has stayed the same during lock-down, surely it should have gone UP? No commute, no distractions, less meetings, no chit-chat - surely they should be MORE productive? But, on the most part, they're not. Because, whether you admit it or not, there are far more distractions at home and it is easier to be become disengaged.  It is also way easier to take breaks, slack off, finish early, start late, put a wash on, finish the washing up etc when you’re lacking in motivation.

Before we close too many offices and implement WFH permanently, we should really check this! Are your staff as (un)productive as before or has their productivity increased?”

Are we starting to see the momentum shift? Are employees sick of the sight of their homes and missing the office?  I was keen to go into more detail around my thoughts that prompted the original post.

Is your work and home life boundary becoming blurred?

As I stated in my LinkedIn post, it is my personal preference to have a separate working space away from my home.  Some are lucky enough to have an office at home that they can shut themselves away in and ignore the outside world. If you’ve found yourself sat in your lounge, kitchen, bedroom etc and have no clear separation between your workspace and your home, the boundary lines quickly become blurred. If you have a day off or spend the weekend at home, you’re basically in the office! If you have children, the minute you turn your PC off you’re already at home and thrust into parenting without being able to take a breath. Nobody likes a lengthy commute but the down time a journey home affords you makes a big difference in being able switch off from work and then move into home life, especially for those with children at home.  It is also way easier to work more hours as you are more readily available and more inclined to work later. 

How’s your posture?

According to Ascenti, a physiotherapy group report ‘Are Home-Workers Sitting Comfortably’ found that 49 per cent of remote workers are experiencing back, neck, shoulder and hand pain due to working from home. The report found that the main reasons leading to worker’s physical pain are being forced to use sofas, beds and kitchen tables instead of desks with appropriate seating. This might seem like an issue that lacks in importance but anybody with chronic back, neck, posture issues will tell you how debilitating this can be and the knock-on effects (inability to exercise, mental health impacts etc) are potentially life-changing.

Just because working from home suits you, doesn’t mean you will be more productive!

The proverbial drum has been banged for a number of years now around WFH and there is one common factor around the employees that have been pushing this agenda – it is because it suits them and not because it suits their employer. I appreciate that is an uncomfortable statement to accept but it is an accurate one. Their preference is just that, a preferred choice and one that will be based around personal motivations. There is nothing wrong with wanting that flexibility either. I’m a big advocate for flexible working and out of the 9 staff I currently employ, 4 of them work reduced hours and are provided with flexibility to work around childcare arrangements etc. On the most part they work from the office and everyone has the option to work from home as required.

BUT just because employees want to work from home does not mean they will be productive. Your home (yes, like an office!) has many distractions. You might be fired up to prove how productive you are WFH initially, but this momentum can soon stop and feeling demotivated/disengaged/lonely ultimately leads to bad habits starting to kick in or the isolation becomes too much. If you are super disciplined and can maintain that in the long term then fantastic, but who can honestly say that they work at full capacity every day and/or without missing the human interaction and colleagues??

What are the effects on your mental health?

WFH can make employees feel incredibly isolated. The lack of human interaction, being confined to your home and missing the camaraderie amongst colleagues can lead to a huge impact on your well-being.  Despite businesses doing their best to communicate with their employees and keep them engaged, how motivated are you going to be after such a long period of time out of the office and not seeing your boss, your team and your workmates? Imagine feeling demotivated, disengaged and suffering with your well-being and then being told that your office now isn’t opening until 2021 or, worse still, WFH is being implemented permanently!  My feeling is that the tide will turn and a lot of employees will look to work for companies who do still work from an office and do offer that human interaction.  WFH can work but it should NOT be forced on employees (lockdown aside!).

Is WFH and flexible working the same thing?

In my opinion – no!  WFH is a biproduct of flexible working but they are not one and the same thing. The option to WFH is a great, flexible benefit to have but there is a huge difference to WFH 1-2 days a week and WFH full-time. The key thing is choice – that both the employee AND the employer have an option to flex between the two dependent on business demands and personal requirements.

Is WFH what we thought it would be and are we changing our minds?

Of the WFH advocates, I would be very interested to see how many have changed their minds now that it has been thrust upon them, some for 6+ months now and counting!  Before businesses start closing offices to save costs and forcing their employees down the WFH route, I would implore them to ask their staff about their well-being and preferences now, after they have been doing it for months.

Combining home and office working would seem to be the happy medium and a huge step forward in the way that businesses operate. Actually having a choice makes a huge difference and it will be interesting to see how office based working options start to rank in terms of importance when it comes to candidates seeking a new company to work for.

Employers should not be underestimating the importance of employee engagement. Employee retention and keeping staff motivated will be one of the biggest challenges facing companies for the remainder of 2020 and beyond as we find our feet post-lockdown and in a business world that could be changed forever. Open dialogue with your workforce is key and don’t forget they might well feel differently now to how they felt in March or April!

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