Tuesday, July 28, 2020
Why working from home has its own problems
The one feature of this pandemic that has impacted on nearly everybody is the requirement to work from home of at all possible, but despite the environmental benefits there are some clear downsides to an extended period of such a regime.
The Independent reports that half of all Britons fear their work-life balance has worsened because working from home means they find it difficult to switch off and they miss talking to their colleagues. They say that a study of 2,000 employees who've spent recent months working from home found half wished they had a better balance and 42 per cent said it has deteriorated as a result of not being able to head to the office:
The study also found, for one in six, being based just a few feet from their bedroom is not as convenient as they had expected.
As a result, one fifth long for the time they had during their commute as it gave them a period to switch off and unwind before walking through the door in the evening.
Almost three in 10 (29 per cent) have found it more difficult to switch off from their work when they're based at home.
While 47 per cent said they miss the social interaction of meeting other people through their job.
A third have also admitted they struggle to motivate themselves when away from the office and a quarter said they end up working longer hours at home.
I have been working from home for the best part of four years, but those who commissioned the study do make a very valid point:
“No commute, no traipsing into the office and no having to get up and make yourself look presentable every morning for meetings.
“But many are discovering the opposite is true and that the commute or time spent travelling for business helped them to unwind before they walked through the front door and were faced with family life.
“Others are missing the face-to-face meetings or the opportunity to travel to speak to clients and customers without a video screen between them.”
We all need to unwind, and the best way to do that is to separate work from home. If the move to home working becomes a permanent feature then this is something that employers are going to have to address.
The Independent reports that half of all Britons fear their work-life balance has worsened because working from home means they find it difficult to switch off and they miss talking to their colleagues. They say that a study of 2,000 employees who've spent recent months working from home found half wished they had a better balance and 42 per cent said it has deteriorated as a result of not being able to head to the office:
The study also found, for one in six, being based just a few feet from their bedroom is not as convenient as they had expected.
As a result, one fifth long for the time they had during their commute as it gave them a period to switch off and unwind before walking through the door in the evening.
Almost three in 10 (29 per cent) have found it more difficult to switch off from their work when they're based at home.
While 47 per cent said they miss the social interaction of meeting other people through their job.
A third have also admitted they struggle to motivate themselves when away from the office and a quarter said they end up working longer hours at home.
I have been working from home for the best part of four years, but those who commissioned the study do make a very valid point:
“No commute, no traipsing into the office and no having to get up and make yourself look presentable every morning for meetings.
“But many are discovering the opposite is true and that the commute or time spent travelling for business helped them to unwind before they walked through the front door and were faced with family life.
“Others are missing the face-to-face meetings or the opportunity to travel to speak to clients and customers without a video screen between them.”
We all need to unwind, and the best way to do that is to separate work from home. If the move to home working becomes a permanent feature then this is something that employers are going to have to address.
