Does remote working boost productivity?
Although many people might like the idea of working from home, the reality isn’t always as good as it sounds. There are many challenges, including isolation, unannounced guests and technical glitches, all of which can have a negative impact on the working day.
Despite this however, there are many studies that claim that remote working can actually boost overall productivity for workers. There are a number of things that are thought to be positive about remote working, which we have outlined below.
Flexibility
Not everyone is a morning person, or an evening person. Working remotely means you can work when you want to, and how you want to, giving the ability to truly work to your own skillset.
There is more overtime
Because working from home means you can work as much or as little as you like, studious workers tend to put in more overtime than office workers. They always have the chance to work, whereas for office workers, they are limited to the times when the building is open.
They can remove distractions
In a regular workplace, there might be lots of distractions such as noise and talking to other colleagues. Working remotely can remove this issue completely, and those working from home are able to work in their own space, which they can ensure is free of all distractions.
There are fewer days off
This works two-fold. Firstly, it is likely that the lack of office germs means there is less illness in general. Secondly, if a remote worker does get ill, it is much easier to continue working at home than it would be to get out of the house and get to work. This means that overall, fewer days are taken off.
Remote workers are happier
Finally – research has shown, time and time again, that remote workers are happier than those working in a regular workplace. It stands to reason that so long as workers are able to look past the negative aspects of working from home, the benefits of being a remote worker are too difficult to turn down. With this in mind, it seems likely that workplaces will move further towards working from home, where possible, in the future.