Office at home is no good
Working from home may sound good; but on a regular basis home is not a good office.
A study done says that not only does the productivity falls over time but even workers become socially isolated.
Many companies all over the world now give employees the option to work from home but a new UK study warns it may not be as productive in all cases.
The study, by the London School of Economics (LSE), said the benefits of working from home disappeared over time for employees and companies if it was a full-time arrangement.
‘This study provides a glimpse into a future where flexible working could become business as usual. Whereas once people saw it as a favour and felt the need to reciprocate and give back more to the organisation, in this future they will not,’ Esther Canonico, from the LSE’s department of management, told The Times.
Her research discovered that too much home-working means that employees become just as unproductive as those in the office, with staff growing disgruntled about having to pay for extra for bills and missing out on office gossip.
Worse, employees also stop regarding working from home as a discretionary benefit or privilege.
‘The study showed that some homeworking employees feel resentful that employers don’t pay utility bills or cover stationery costs, for example. Some managers feel homeworkers take advantage of the situation. If the company expects homeworkers to be a lot more productive or workers expect employers to give them a lot of flexibility and not have to reciprocate in kind, one or both are likely to be disappointed,’ Canonico said.
Being at home also makes a person ‘socially and professionally’ isolated. Employees increasingly feel out of touch, seem to lose confidence in their skills and find it difficult or are no longer able to ‘accurately interpret and use information’.
The study also found that simple emails can be misinterpreted compared to face-to-face meeting where the signals are clear.
Companies and employees those who are desirous to adopt work from home should now think twice; however occasional work from home strategy may be beneficial!
