Although the majority of employers were required to enforce a work-from-home policy during the coronavirus pandemic, many employees have grown accustomed to working from home. Many were experiencing the benefits of remote working for the first time and now a large percentage of employers are choosing to adopt a more flexible or hybrid approach for their workforce, allowing team members to work from home for a few days a week.
There are undoubtedly a number of reasons why employees might prefer working from home, and ultimately request more flexible working opportunities – a shorter and cheaper commute, no need to worry about parking and a homemade lunch each day. Yet while these are all very nice perks to have, what about the long-term picture?
A recent Gartner survey, reported in the Wall Street Journal, found that 43% of remote workers and 49% of hybrid workers were more engaged than their onsite colleagues (of which only 35% were highly engaged). Despite this, some managers still believe that remote workers are less productive, which can mean they are not as readily considered for promotions and salary increases. If staff are working from home more often than not, is there a risk that they could become disadvantaged and ultimately be treated less favourably? Might valuable staff begin to feel isolated or undervalued? Ultimately, can working from home affect career progression?
The effects of working from home
It’s broadly accepted that people will never return to work in the same way as before….
Want to read more? This article was written by Pam Loch for Insights for Professionals, please click here for the full article.
