Remote Working – Will there be more of it?

Flexible working has become more common place over the last few years. In the last few weeks it’s become the norm for a very large number of people.

Is it working? Do we like it? Has it got more of a future in normal working practice?

This is how we see it..the pro’s and the con’s.

Pro’s…

• Less mind numbing, ineffective commuting.
• Positive environmental impacts.
• Fewer distractions/more focus.
• Better productivity.
• Less bureaucracy.
• Fewer pointless meetings.
• Less time wasting.
• Happier employees with better lifestyles (less of the daily grind feeling).
• More employee trust and responsibility with employer creating a positive relationship.
• Smaller offices required for employers – reduced costs.
• Better staff retention for employers.
• Less sick days for employers (reduce the spread of colds, coughs and COVID19).

Con’s…

• Employees taking advantage (more time on the golf course).
• Lack of human interaction and stimulation.
• Too much time at home (cabin fever).
• Less collaboration and team work.
• Screaming at Skype when it doesn’t work.

Below are the results from an American study that are really interesting…

• Remote employees work an additional 1.4 more days per month than in-office employees, which is nearly 17 additional workdays a year.
• Remote employees take longer breaks on average than office employees (22 minutes versus 18 minutes, respectively), but they work an additional 10 minutes a day.
• Office workers are unproductive for an average 37 minutes a day, not including lunch or breaks, whereas remote employees are unproductive for only 27 minutes.
• 15% of remote workers said their boss distracted them from work, which is less than the 22% of office-based employees who said the same thing. 

The demand for our EIGER Pro standing desk has risen dramatically over the last few weeks. It’s almost like people don’t think twice about sitting at a desk in the office “because that’s what we do” and “everyone does it” but at home it raises the question of how can I work healthy, how can I help my posture?

An EIGER Pro will convert any flat surface into a standing desk (even the kitchen table) in seconds so it’s really flexible. It’s modular so it can go under your stairs and out of the way. It complements a home environment because of its unique Scandinavian design; it’s not a huge piece of plastic from the Far East!

So it all looks pretty positive that remote/home working has a big future. It seems that from reports so far that COVID19 and self-isolation has proven the point to both employee and employer that we can work effectively at home.