Covid-19 has caused many changes in our society. Especially in the way we structure our work life has never before faced this many changes. In this blog post you can read about remote work and what it takes for both employees and businesses to make it work. 

Why remote work is rising in popularity

Even though the pandemic has slightly passed, work life has taken a new course in the direction of hybrid work. More employees and work places have taken the remote work in with a positive response and employees have gotten used to the flexibility in their working days. 

Even though there are still disadvantages to working less in the office where informal knowledge sharing happens, a majority still believes that the benefits outweigh the disadvantages and that one to two working days a week doing remote work is preferable. 

In an analysis about good leadership it has been found that employees that get the freedom to plan their own projects, working remotely have a positive impact on their well-being. Freedom is intertwined with trust and in relation to remote work this strengthens the environment for the employees, having flexibility and influence in how they structure their work life.

Appropriate for focused work

When you have the opportunity to structure your own working rhythm it seems as there will also be a better balance between working life and private life, and this flexibility is especially appreciated by employees with children. A balanced work life means that you have a variation in the environment and even though socializing with one’s colleagues is important for one’s well-being, some projects are more demanding of peace and time to focus. Here, many experience that remote work is more optimal because it gives one the opportunity to delve into tasks that are more demanding of one’s cognitive functions and it is less distracting working from home. On the other hand coordinating tasks are demanding of one’s presence and are more appropriate for online work at the office.

The flip side of the coin

In the study from 2021 about remote work, ‘’Six Key Advantages and Disadvantages of Working from Home in Europe during COVID-19’’, three benefits and disadvantages about working from home have been clarified. The research is coherent with results from a Danish study by Gallup. The disadvantages cover limited resources in feedback, insecurity about one’s own work and inadequate office supplies at home. 

Benefits

• balance between work life and private life
• increased effectivity 
• increased influence on work tasks

Disadvantages

• limited resources in feedback
• insecurity about own performance
• inadequate equipment

When the leader is absent and when we lack the matching of expectations and trust, the remote work is not as rewarding as it could have been. This can cause insecurity in the employee and in the worst case be the cause of stress. Studies have shown that the mentioned has been a direct result of forced remote work during Covid-19. 

Forced discharge and a large load of work pressure combined with not having access to co-workers and leaders for feedback are factors that have increased stress in working environments. A lot of flexibility puts more demand on the employee’s ability to structure his own time because at home you don’t have the natural shift between work and spare time. 

In some workplaces the increased level of remote work after the pandemic has also caused a larger need for control from the leaders – this is if you ask the employees. In an enquiry 17% of employees answer that they somewhat agree or agree with the notion that their leader has an enlarged focus on control now than before the Covid-19. This can weaken the trust and by this increase the employees’ insecurity in themselves. 

A lack of social interaction

A lack of social interaction
One of the great disadvantages for the employees is a decrease in social interaction with their colleagues which a majority of the danes experience affects their well-being in their work. According to psychologist Marlene Friis Andersen this has been a part of the rising numbers in people experiencing loneliness: ‘’Working from home can give flexibility, freedom and a better work-life-balance, but can just as well give lack of boundaries, conflicts in the home and a feeling of never having time off. The home office gives us the opportunity to focus but it can at the same time increase the feeling of loneliness and being detached from the workplace.’’(ed.)

For leaders with employees that work from home the challenge can be having a sense of how their employees are feeling. You can do much with teams meetings and virtual Friday bars, but it cannot replace the informal meeting in between leaders and employees. 

What does the optimal new work life look like?

What does the optimal new work life look like?
So what is the solution, one might ask, and what is a sustainable work life? Employees can have different motivational factors and the different types of tasks and projects demand different things from the work form. There is no doubt that the physical presence of the employees strengthens the collaboration and the team spirit. This will not change. Some workplaces have enacted specific days where everyone must be present so interaction and sharing of knowledge is naturally facilitated. But there is no doubt that hybrid work has come to stay.

For the management it is important to to have clear agreements as to who can work home, which tasks can be solved remotely and a clear framework for expectations around the work. First and foremost, it demands flexible management to be able to deal with the new reality that you can now both work from home and in the office. Our recommandation is that you have to align expectations and make agreements as to which type of tasks and project you can work on remotely. When you give your employees the right amount of influence and responsibility for their own working rhythm, you will experience an effective, dynamic and trusting working environment. 

A digitalized solution for the modern company

By implementing a digital solution for time registrations in the workplace you can ensure to keep track and overview of the employees different work days. The new hybrid work life calls for mobile solutions in everyday life. 

At Intempus we have developed an intelligent app that gives ownership of the work day back to the employee that now can register their hours and plan their work time. 

Do you want to hear more? Contact us – we will answer your questions as best we can. 

Sources: Arbejdsmilljøweb.dk, Kantar Gallup & Videnscenter for God Arbejdslyst