The COVID-19 pandemic drove many white-collar industries to allow employees to work from their homes. Two years later, most of those employees continue to work from out of the office on at least a part-time basis.
This ‘work from anywhere’ economy has made employers and employees consider whether productivity is as high now as it was back when most commuted to and worked from an office. More often than not, the answer is different depending on your point of view.
Almost without exception, I hear employees say they are as productive. They say that’s because they work more hours due to no commuting, or they aren’t distracted by water cooler conversations, or they are simply able to work outside of the normal 8am-5pm workday.
But the employer answer, and I think the correct one, is that there’s no way workers are as productive working from anywhere as they are working from the office. Just the lack of peer supervision and accountability is enough for one to realize there isn’t as much getting done, nor getting done as quickly.
I’ve worked in large offices, small offices, and from home. While I like to think I’m wired in a way that it made no difference, I generally got more done in less time by working in an office environment. Sure I worked more hours, but that’s because I wasn’t as efficient in what I needed to get done. And while the office has its distractions, everywhere else has as many, or more.
Employees want employers to think they’re as productive, because they want to keep their newfound flexibility to basically work when they want. They’ve convinced themselves they somehow work harder and smarter outside of the office, by saying they do. They're basically lying to themselves.
It's great that we've evolved into a hybrid work environment society; I'm all for it. It's better for families, and better for overall life balance in general. Just don't tell me as much is getting accomplished.
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