COVID-19 saw employment environments change drastically. Offices closed around the world as employees embarked on the new normal of working from home.
Whilst this adjustment had been somewhat overbearing at the start, and many were unaware of how they were going to alter their working habits, evidence seems to show that the majority of workers (56%) felt more productive working from home rather than in the office.
Another statistic shows that 70% of workers who don’t usually work from home say that the current climate of lockdown has shown that a physical workplace is not necessary to be productive.
A 2014 experiment found that people that worked from home for 9 months had an output increase of 13%, and their quit rates halved.
So why does productivity increase in a remote work setting? And how do we ensure that workers remain productive at home?
Why Are Remote Workers More Productive?
The pandemic has pushed for businesses to introduce a more flexible work culture – whether that be working at home, in an office, or a combination of the two.
84.5% of companies intend to continue offering some remote work options after the pandemic.
The reason for this? Businesses have found that their employees are more productive:
- Less distracted – the office environment provides many noisy social distractions amongst employees. Remote employees lost 27 minutes per day on distractions, as opposed to 37 minutes lost per day from office workers. Working from home tends to provide a quieter, more relaxed and efficient work setting.
- Longer breaks – research found that whilst remote workers took longer breaks than office workers, more frequent breaks have actually been shown to increase productivity. These short, frequent breaks can help workers stay focused throughout the day.
- Longer working day – those working from home don’t have to deal with commuting issues and lateness. 53% of workers not having to commute said that they had more time to do work.
- Less sick leave – workers that fall sick with the common cold or other non-serious illnesses are more likely to work from home than take sick leave as they don’t have to worry about passing germs onto other co-workers.
- Less time-off – the remote work setting provides flexibility for employees to work anywhere, meaning that they are less likely to take time-off.
Tips For Efficiently Working From Home
Here are some ways to ensure that you are staying productive in your remote work setting:
- Schedule breaks. Research demonstrates that scheduled short breaks and adopting the “pulse and pause” mantra or the Pomodoro Technique increases productivity.
- Eliminate distractions. There are many workplace distractions that can inhibit your focus. Eliminating these as much as possible and providing yourself a quiet work setting encourages you to focus solely on your work.
- Create an efficient working space. A recent report noted that clutter prevents the brain from processing information correctly. Limit the clutter of your work space and provide yourself with a calm and tidy desk-setting to work on.
- Get organised. Setting yourself a to-do list and self-imposed deadlines helps to motivate and keep you on track towards your goals.
- Being held accountable. An extremely effective factor in driving motivation and productivity stems from the positive reinforcement of others. Being held accountable keeps your goals in-check and provides a watchful eye on how you are progressing in your work.
If you find this difficult to do yourself, just ask Ceed for help! Our specialist team and state-of-the-art app can help manage accountability, track your performance and give you detailed analysis of your remote work.
For more information on our service, take a look at what we can do for you here.