Recent reports have found that home working has had a positive impact for many business in terms of enhanced productivity levels, but that the best results have been delivered by hybrid working arrangements. However, will the benefits for some be outweighed by the negative impact that that would inevitably have for town and city centres, and those within retail who depend upon high levels of office working?
The Productivity Benefits Of Home Working
As we highlighted in a recent article, the Trades Union Congress (TUC) report that the number of employees engaged permanently in home working may have increased from 6.7% in 2019, to 12.2% in 2020. Nevertheless, the TUC caution that “the 2020 figure [should not be viewed] as a definitive indicator. It relies on self-reporting in an unusual year with high rates of enforced home working. And many workers remain uncertain of the future policy in their workplace….[Nevertheless,] all indications point to working from home and hybrid working being significantly higher after the pandemic than before.“
A report by Standford into 16,000 staff employed by the company, Ctrip, over a 9 month period found that there was a productivity increase of 13%, with employees reporting an increase in work satisfaction, whilst a survey conducted by TalkTalk found that 58% of workers reported that they were more productive working at home, compared with working at the office
Moreover, a survey carried out by ConnectSolutions found that those who were able to work remotely at least part of the time were 77% more productive, with 30% able to complete tasks in less time and 24% able to produce more work in the same allotted time.
Furthermore, the Great Place to Work Institute assessed the productivity of 800,000 employees working for 715 Fortune 500 companies by comparing their productivity levels whilst home working between March-August 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic, with their productivity during the same period a year earlier pre-pandemic. As a result, the Institute found that "most people reported stable or even increased productivity levels after employees started working from home."
Nevertheless, a New York Times article reports that data from Microsoft, Affirm, and Splunk indicates that prolonged working from home may produce some negatives over time in terms of productivity, due to mental health and burnout problems caused by the lack of social interaction and loneliness.
Given the above, it is hardly surprising that recent surveys have found that most employees would prefer a hybrid working arrangement, in which they are able to combine office working with home working. For instance, A survey from HubbleHQ found that the number of employees who want to engage in home working post covid at least 1 day per week stands at 86%, although just 15% said that they would want to work from home full time. That is, the majority of employees wanted a balance, a hybrid, between working from the office and home working.
The Wider Impact Upon The Economy
Some fear the consequences of increased home working levels upon town and city centres and retail. The Confederation of British Industry (CBI), for example, argue that town and city centres could become "ghost towns." The then director-general of the CBI, Carolyn Fairbairn, said back in August 2020, that: "The UK’s offices are vital drivers of our economy. They support thousands of local firms, from dry cleaners to sandwich bars. They help train and develop young people. And they foster better work and productivity for many kinds of business."
Fairbairn added that: "The costs of office closure are becoming clearer by the day. Some of our busiest city centres resemble ghost towns, missing the usual bustle of passing trade. This comes at a high price for local businesses, jobs and communities."
Home Working As Part Of A Hybrid Working Arrangement
The evidence thus far would suggest that hybrid working arrangements, as opposed to full time home working or full time working from the office, delivers the best results for the economy as a whole. They boost productivity, whilst at the same time preventing long term burnout and mental health problems. In tandem with this, they allows office working to continue at levels that would prevent town and city centres from becoming ghost towns, and at a level that would for the most part continue to support retail.
