Who is still remote working?

Hi everyone, welcome back to blogging with Ellie from Sinclair and Rush. This week’s topic is based on our recent social media poll question, “Are you still remote working some or all of the time?” With the multiple choice answers Yes or No. We wanted to touch on this topic again as post pandemic many businesses have developed a new way of working, after seeing the success many companies had working from home during Covid.

The results for the poll are as follows:

59% said Yes

41% voted No

Based on the conversations I have been having with people these statistics do ring true. The percentage of people working remotely some or all of the time is definitely more than those in the office.

So why is this?

There are many reasons why remote working is successful and we are going to discuss the main ones.

Firstly, flexibility. By employers allowing staff to do some or all working from home days it means staff have a more flexible day, which is incredibly helpful for working parents for example. They may need to do a school run, or if there is a doctor or dentist appointment in the diary these can be done without much interference to the working day, and without having to take annual leave. By offering flexibility this in turn means staff feel more engaged and committed to the company because they are grateful that they can have a work life balance. You will often find staff are more productive and efficient as they are not stressed trying to fit everything into rigid time frames. By offering this flexibility you are less likely to lose employees to a company that has adapted to this modern way of working.

Secondly, the lack of commuting to and from work means that the time saved on travel and the lack of stress that comes with traffic allows staff to actually get more done, and be in a better mind frame to concentrate at work.

Likewise, there are less sick days being reported because a staff member is already at home where they can’t spread their germs so are less likely to feel the need to call in sick or be sent home. Similarly, they are more likely to log on to the computer when they feel a bit more rested because they are set up to do it already from home, when they perk up they may fancy looking at a few emails to catch up for the following day. Consequently you get more work out of your staff when they are unwell!

Lastly, overall remote workers have reported they have more energy and time to exercise during the day and prepare healthy meals. The time they save commuting they can spend on fitness and preparing a healthy meal at lunch, which is much easier to do as they are already at home.

I am sure there are many more positives to remote working so please comment with how remote working has benefited you. We would love to engage with you!

Now onto some cons to remote working. That lack of people interaction can have a detrimental effect on employee wellbeing. Remote working isn’t for everyone as it can be isolating. Some people enjoy the physical action of driving or walking to a place of work and being elsewhere. There is some merit in physically separating work and home life. A way round this which many remote workers do is to have a specific office space in their home so they can leave the work there and “shut the door” on it. It can be difficult to switch off if you simply put your laptop down in the same place you will then be relaxing.

Next, for some employees, they are not very self-motivated so being at home can lead to some unproductivity. Without having a boss or team there to keep you focussed you can get distracted especially if you have partners, children or pets at home interrupting you!

Also, some jobs do not lend themselves to home working. It can be physically impossible to work remotely in some professions.  Equally,  as mentioned before working from home suits some personality types but not others. Some people may prefer colleague contact by face-to-face communication.

Similarly, working at home can mean less data breach precautions are in place and not as good office equipment and broadband speed. These things will have a negative impact on home working if not put in place prior.

Lastly, even though remote workers are saving money on fuel costs they will have a higher electricity and internet bill for being home all the time and needing to access the internet in order to work!

Overall I believe a mixture of office and remote gives the best of both worlds but having those remote flexible days will definitely improve the mental wellbeing of the staff as that work life balance is much more in order. Having said this everyone is different and some will work better remotely than others. One rule doesn’t fit all, it may need to be tailored to suit the roles and personalities in the business.

I would like to finish with an extract from an article that one of our remote workers Joey put together during the pandemic. Joey works in Sales at Sinclair & Rush and she gives her perspective of being a remote working during the pandemic, it is a little outdated now, but we all found her words beautiful and well written.

“….Honestly I feel the pros outweigh the cons. We live in times where before covid we spent so little time appreciating family and friends. Too much emphasis was put on money to survive that we as humans have forgotten how to just stop and appreciate those that we love. On reflection I miss my work family, the banter, canteen giggles, hugs from a work colleague who is now a personal friend. I miss the girls bingo nights, and little dinners, our amazing Christmas parties. I miss our charity events showing support. We have not been able to celebrate in person work colleagues who have gotten married and others who have had babies. Colleagues I never got to say goodbye to because Covid didn’t allow us. Where to from here.. COVID has taught me that I am more than disciplined enough to work from home. I look forward to embracing my future with Sinclair and Rush, whether it is at home or at work, I will succeed.”

As always, to view other blogs just click on the below image. And to listen to our blogs as podcasts go to: Sinclair and Rush UK LTD • A podcast on Spotify for Podcasters