During the blockade throughout the country, employees and employers can work effectively in remote areas by using video conference cameras for online meetings, and some companies have even increased productivity.One in nine employees called for continuing to work remotely when the epidemic is over. There is no doubt that people’s attitudes towards traditional working methods have changed.
All of these terms come down to the same thing: workers don’t need to be in the office all of the time.During the first lockdown, we looked at the benefits of working from home. Let’s recap some of these and see whether recent findings give us any further insight.
1.Flexible working hours
One of the most widely reported benefits of working from home is that we don’t need to stick with 9 to 5 to achieve everything we want during our working weeks. People are finding that because they are working remotely by using eptz cameras they can choose when they want to work. For many this means higher levels of productivity. In fact, only 7% of employees want to return to the office and 45% say this is because flexible hours improved their work-life balance this year.
2.Cost savings in all aspects
This isn’t just for employees, but businesses too. People are saving money on travel costs by working from home and getting rid of their commutes, especially those who fork out for annual train fares. According to findings from Commuter report, employees on average could save up to £4,000 by working remotely permanently.
Businesses can also save money by lowering overheads. At the start of the pandemic, companies with flexible workplace arrangements already in place found it easier to switch to fully remote when lockdowns came into place.
3.Productivity improved nationally
There are statistics out there right now which show both the positive and negative impact working remotely has on productivity, so it’s hard to know what to believe. On a national level, the latest findings from the Office of National Statistics tell us that productivity for the third quarter in 2020 grew by 3% when compared with the same quarter a year ago. This is a difficult one to truly measure as productivity comes down to the individual, the business and the technology they use.
What about working remotely in the long-term?
While findings tell us there are many benefits to working remotely, there are disadvantages to this style of work. Almost half of UK workers have experienced loneliness as they worked from home for a long period of time. On top of this, businesses have experienced security challenges as they hastily adopted solutions.
As a result, many businesses are considering the idea of hybrid working for the future, comprising the options to work remotely or in the office, depending on what type of collaboration individuals need. The UK Workplace survey from Gensler tells us over two-thirds (67%) of the UK workforce would prefer a hybrid work model. Employees see this as a positive step in maintaining control of their work-life balance whilst keeping physical contact with their organisation.
What works for one company or person may not work well for others. It’s vital for companies to understand the data that tells them about employee preferences and productivity and the impact this has on morale, wellbeing and company growth. What’s clear is that over the past 12 months we’ve experienced the many potential benefits of remote work.WODWIN produces usb conference cameras are widely used in online meetings, tele-education and tele-medicine etc. Therefore, remote work will play a much greater role in the way we organise workforces in the future.