In a recent study, it was revealed that 76% of workers would prefer to have a more flexible approach to their working location.
We asked over 1000 employees about whether they would want to work from home and if so, how much time would they settle for. We found....
- 25% are happy working at the office
- 8% would like to work one day per week at home
- 26% would like to work 2 to 3 days per week at home
- 41% would like to work more than 3 days per week at home
Although, there is a decent percentage of employees who are happy to remain working in an office environment, a much larger number of people are not. Why is this? Why are employers not speaking to their employees and respecting their wishes?
In some instances, really it comes down to the industry and job in which these employees are working within. How can an IT support worker who deals with on-site issues throughout a day possibly work from home. On the other hand though, a telesales person could quite happily do their job from home without the need for social interaction with colleagues. Also, being around other people throughout the day is much more sociable and allows for quicker and more comprehensive communication with colleagues.
How does working at home affect an individuals productivity? It is hard to give a blanket response to this question as when we have spoken to people in the past, some are massively self-motivated, able to get their job done without any distraction at home but others find any reason not to knuckle down. Employers are frightened at not being able to monitor daily tasks sometimes as not everyone works as hard when left to their own devices.
What are your thoughts and views on this subject? At the end of the day, should it be based on a case by case basis depending on the individuals personality, work ethic, self-motivation and more? We think so!
