Productivity wars: Remote work takes on the office!

Forget McGregor vs Mayweather.
In the red corner, all the way from the industrial revolution, weighing in at 9–5, we haaaaave THE OFFICE!
And in the blue corner, dialing in via Zoom, across three different time zones, wearing stretchy pants we haaaaave REMOTE WORK!
Ladies and gentlemen, pride, glory and productivity are on the line here today!
Let’s get ready to rumble!
These two arch rivals have been going round for round over the past few years, but the fight is heating up as companies around the world roll out remote work policies to entice talent and increase employee satisfaction. But there’s been no shortage of coverage on the recent decision by large corporations Hewlett-Packard, Yahoo and IBM to wind back their flexible work arrangements.
Both sides cite employee productivity as being the driving metric behind why each way of working is better.
The case for the office
When it comes to why the office is best, organisations claim that people are easier to manage when they are in an office and that it is easier to trust local workers. Some companies report stopping remote work practices because employees took advantage of the perk, skipping meetings and slacking off. From the employee side, there are fewer boundaries, work bleeds into non-work hours, and the distractions and interruptions of home life are ever present. In many cases, the isolation of working from home holds dark consequences of stress, anxiety and lost productivity.
But for every article espousing the benefits and importance of office-based employment on productivity, there is another trumpeting the case for remote work conditions.
The case for remote work
The New York Times reports that remote work increased 79% between 2005 and 2012. So what’s all the hype about? And does productivity measure up? A research study conducted over 2 years, revealed a significant increase in productivity of employees who worked from home, primarily because of fewer distractions and fewer pointless conversations. Employees were also happier and healthier, reducing sick days and absenteeism. Employees want this too, with one study showing that 86% of people prefer to work alone to hit maximum productivity, and would take an 8% pay cut in order to work from home.
To the victor go the spoils
The spoils of happy, productive workers, that is. So, in the productivity war between office and remote, who will come out on top? It might just be neither. Because, wait for it, coming in with a flying piledriver is….
WORK FLEXIBILITY!!! With her Wonder Woman style and get-the-job-done mindset, she takes into consideration each individual’s work style, circumstance, personality and goals.
It’s flexibility and choice that are the winning combination, not the location. Employees who have control over their work-life balance have a 90% satisfaction rate, while those without control have a 26% satisfaction rate. And 50% of employees prefer flexible work options instead of a 20 percent pay rise! As for productivity, three in four employers agree that flexible working arrangements provide a positive return on investment.
There is no one size fits all model when it comes to creating productive work conditions. There are also many factors that contribute to employee outcomes including management style, culture. Organisations need to help with employees figure out what works best for them when it comes to work.
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