Since the global lockdowns in 2019, a new phenomenon has emerged: remote work/telecommuting/home office. The basic premise was that employees worked from a distance. Initially, this was a necessity due to the world economy being shut down for a prolonged period. However, this phenomenon is starting to dissipate as higher management and some companies push for a return to on-site work. Additionally, new studies indicate that remote workers are more prone to negative psychological consequences stemming from the absence of social contact within the workplace.
So, is the digitalized workspace where people can work from anywhere in the world a good thing? Is it possible? Is this model desirable?
Statistics from the latest sources show that working remotely can lead to increased work performance and employee satisfaction. This is true not only for fully remote work (i.e., working remotely 100% of the time), but also for hybrid work regimes, where in-person and remote work are combined based on the employer’s needs. The increase in performance can go up to 50% while allowing employees to better manage social and professional life.
However, there is more negative side to home office. To cite a study from 2021 “For example, some research has shown that workers who were more afraid of COVID-19 were more productive when working from home [23]. When faced with going back to in-person work, many workers anticipate negative impacts specifically due to concerns about COVID-19 safety [24]. Conversely, telework during the pandemic has also been associated with increases in social isolation and work stress [23,25], family conflict [22,23], distractions [22,23], as well as food and alcohol consumption [22,26]—which can all negatively impact the mental health of workers [22].”
Another valid concern is the exposure of a company to cyber threats, as working remotely allows employees to leave the security ecosystem created by their company. Some companies consider, that the social contact allow for better interactivity and creativity, main reason certain tech giants such as Google, Twitter, Apple or Tesla ban working at distance completely.
The future of remote work is uncertain. There is pressure to return to traditional office settings, while employees have experienced the benefits of remote work and even consider it a social gain. New models, such as shared office spaces and hybrid work arrangements, seem to be emerging as the future of work. However, the feasibility of remote work varies significantly across different sectors.
One thing remains certain: many people prefer not to commute to a physical workplace. This tendency, coupled with the rapid development of digital technologies, ensures that remote work is becoming a new standard in the job market.
Sources :
- Surprising Working From Home Productivity Statistics
- About a third of U.S. workers who can work from home now do so all the time
- The Impact of Working from Home on Mental Health: A Cross-Sectional Study of Canadian Worker’s Mental Health during the Third Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic
- 2024 : Bilan de l’adoption du télétravail en France?
- Prodoscore Research from March/April 2020: Productivity Has Increased, Led By Remote Workers
