A wider range of options are now available for how firms can operate and
be organised thanks to home working. Home working has allowed some companies
the flexibility they require to maintain their business operations while
prioritising staff and customer health and welfare as part of their public
health responsibilities in the wake of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, working from home was on the increase
as many employers identified the benefits that it can bring to their business
and the improved work-life balance for their employees. Even if you don't
think working from home would be beneficial for your business, employees with
26 weeks service have a statutory right to request flexible-working arrangements
such as home working and you, as an employer, have to seriously consider such
requests.
Benefits of working from home for Employees
There are a variety of advantages for company as more people work from
home or use their homes as a base of operations for at least part of the week,
such as:
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Flexibility as well as agility - Working
from home allows you greater agility and flexibility in scheduling. Employees
may be better suited and more willing to work flexible hours, such as earlier
or later in the day or even on the weekends, if they are no longer confined to
an office. This could assist you in meeting certain business needs, such as
when dealing with clients who are in different time zones.
- Better
retention of employees - Employees who work from home are more likely
to stay with the company because of the flexibility it offers to fulfil
childcare demands, cut down on commuting time, and fit work around
personal obligations. Staff that are permitted to work from home will also
feel more trusted by their employer, which can considerably enhance staff
loyalty.
- Attract
new talent โ Offering
the option of working from home as an inducement to join your company will
help you draw in fresh talent. You will have an advantage over rival
employers who don't give their personnel the choice to work from home on
the job market, even if you only offer that option.
- Greater
productivity as a
result of fewer interruptions than would often be seen in an office
setting. In contrast, working from home offers a more tranquil setting
that may promote more concentrated work. Some workers might also want to
work more hours than they were contractually required to in order to make
up for time they used to spend travelling to and from work.
- Higher
employee motivation - Employees who work from home will feel more
trusted by their company because the working relationship isn't as closely
watched and they have more freedom to do their jobs. The development of a
home work schedule that works better for the staff will also make them
happy, which may help them feel more inspired to perform at their best.
- Better
health and wellbeing of your employees because they no longer have to commute to
work, which might be unpleasant for them. Saving time in this way also helps
employees to take advantage of additional health benefits like getting
more sleep, spending more time with family, exercising, or cooking better
foods.
- Comfort
- Your
workers may frequently go to clients' sites and aren't always in the
office. It can be more convenient for them to base themselves at home,
which also results in further time and money savings.
- A
better work - life
balance can be achieved by workers who work from home. For example,
personnel who would have had to commute can now utilise that time for
themselves, establishing the foundation for a better work-life balance.
Additionally, employees are able to incorporate domestic tasks into their
schedules, providing them extra time in the evenings for leisure
activities like loading or unloading the dishwasher or cooking lunch.
- Fewer
absences due to illness - employees who work from home are more likely
to feel happier and more energised, which lowers the risk that burnout
will have a detrimental influence on their immune systems. Additionally,
because workers are working alone, there is a lower risk of an illness
spreading than there would be in a shared office space.
Drawbacks of employees working from home
Though there are some drawbacks to working from home, the majority of
them apply to individuals who do so during the majority of their working week
rather than just parts of it.
- Working
from home is not for everyone - It's possible that not everyone's
personality or skill set is appropriate for working from home. Some
workers might appreciate the routine and structure that an office setting
offers. Some employees can prefer face-to-face communication with co-workers
and find that receiving direct direction from their manager is very
helpful in completing tasks and reaching goals. Additionally, keep
employees with disabilities in mind. The support they require to perform
their job may suffer if they work from home. Additionally, everyone's
personal life may not mesh well with working from home.
- Isolation
among employees - Staff
members who work from home may feel disconnected from their coworkers and
the company as a whole, which an office setting naturally permits.
Employers may make sure that communication occurs more frequently in order
to resolve this problem. So, by setting up quick phone catch-ups or
frequent team meetings via other technologies like Skype, personnel have
more opportunities to feel involved and part of the team. It would also be
beneficial to have more casual social gatherings to combat any feelings of
loneliness.
- A
challenge in performance monitoring - Monitoring performance may be challenging
since it may be challenging to manage and evaluate the work of home
employees. Additionally, different personalities may react to surveillance
in different ways. If you want to be able to identify and address performance
concerns early on, you can consider defining goals and targets for
employees that can be easily measured. For information on how to manage
remote workers effectively, see managing staff performance.
- Distractions
at home - Family
noises and other members of the household might easily divert a worker
from their task if they don't have a quiet dedicated working environment
at home, even when working from home eliminates potential office
distractions.
- The
possibility of burnout - unlike an office, where there is a physical
separation between work and personal life, working from home might make it
difficult for employees to make that distinction. Employees may find it
difficult to know how to switch off from work as a result, which could
result in longer workdays, more stress, and eventually burnout. Employers
should remind their personnel of the value of taking time off and urge
them to take regular breaks.
- The
price of working from home - The initial expenditures of training and
providing relevant equipment, such as laptops, mobile phones, and other IT
equipment, are associated with working from home. You must also take into
account modifications to meet health and safety requirements.
- Team
development issues - you might find that not having your staff
physically close to one another makes it more difficult to maintain staff
development and skill upgrades. However, you may encourage employees to
take use of online events and courses to pick up new skills. Find events
using our Events Finder to get started.
- Lower
employee morale โ When workers are working independently at
home, it might be more difficult to retain a sense of teamwork.
- Not
all jobs are suitable for working from home - certain jobs are more
suitable than others. Equally, some personality types benefit from working
remotely while others do not. Some people might prefer face-to-face
interactions with coworkers.
- Slow
internet speeds โ You should be aware that depending on where
your staff members live, they might not have access to internet speeds
that would allow them to perform their jobs efficiently, for example,
rural broadband is frequently very slow.
Some employers now have a realistic understanding
of how the coronavirus pandemic may impact their company and their personnel,
something they may not have had in the past. Employers can now discover first-hand
the benefits and drawbacks of working from home. Employers can make
business-friendly decisions about working methods with the use of this
experience.