Of remote work and ditching traditional office environment

Ever since the world experienced COVID-19 pandemic which greatly affected the way we work and play, the work environment has changed considerably and permanently in just a few years, afterward. The perception and acceptance of remote work, as a new discovery which has benefitted both employers and employees alike, have been great. More and more people whose schedules fit into remote-work, are opting to work remotely. Many job-seekers now see having a choice of work environment and location where they can work from as a key factor when searching for better work-life balance, as well as evaluating new career opportunities. Remote work has impacted and changed the way we work that industry experts are now recommending it as an effective way of achieving great performances for some sectors.

The massive changeover to remote work since 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic has allowed professionals and companies to discover and embrace the benefits of working remotely. This is not to say that remote work does not have its challenges. However, Owl Labs, a leader in hybrid work technologies with headquarters in Boston, Massachusetts, found that 67 percent of managers think it is likely that within the next year, their employer will be changing their policies surrounding remote and hybrid work. This prediction is based on the fact that 79 percent of managers stated that their teams are more productive when working remotely than when working physically together. There is a higher likelihood that these managers are not wrong in their assertions.

Flex.Jobs, an online remote job search site, found that 56 percent of professionals know someone who has or plans to quit their jobs due to the fact that they do not want to return to office. It is now an open secret that despite physically being at the office full-time, some workers do not necessarily produce great results. Some companies are relying on what 95 percent of working professionals claim they want in their work-life – “some form of remote work”. In fact, 63 percent stated that remote-work is the most important aspect of their job consideration, placing good salary (61%) in second position, flexible schedule (55%) in third, work-life balance (54%) in fourth and having a good boss (48%). Having a friendly working environment is a factor that most workers also consider but not as high as remote work.

Remote work is the practice of employees doing their jobs from a location other than a central office opened by the employer. These locations can include employees’ homes, a co-working office or other shared space, a private office, or any other place outside of the traditional corporate office building or campus. Working remotely is a form of flexibility that has been introduced to the job schedule of workers. Flexible working is an arrangement where employees can choose their own working hours and patterns. It can be done in several ways, such as working from home, part-time, or compressed hours. Some organisations have also resorted to allocating jobs to workers, and workers who can finish their jobs on time, are free to go home for the day. These are called results-oriented or output-focused jobs.

The remote working experience shows that it is not suitable for all sectors and for all workers. Those working in manufacturing industries involving chain-like production like water-bottling, beer production, wine production and food-packaging and those working in an environment where customers must be physically served like car-washing, restaurants, supermarkets, care homes and hospitals cannot work remotely. For fashion marketers, tailors, report-writers, software developers, song writers, market researchers, teachers and journalists, remote working is quite possible and it is easy. It is now fashionable that fashion marketers speak with their supervisors on phone or through Apps like Zoom, Cloud Meeting and Google Meet and book their next orders. All instructions and leads are given on phone or through video conferencing and that is it.

Recent assessment of remote workers’ performance and those working together in a physical office showed that employees working remotely performed better than those working in a physical environment. This is because of “business distractions”. Business distraction is the activity that affects performance of workers in a physical business environment. The biggest business distractions include: noise pollution from industrial machines, office interruption by visitors and colleagues, office television, social media usage, personal conversations and uncooperative attitudes of co-workers. These distractions get in the way of employees staying productive and focusing on their work exclusively. Some workers perform more when they are alone than when they are in the midst of others because they are not team-players.

Others like to be given instructions and to be “bossed” or supervised before they can perform their duties; otherwise they “lay-around”. Studies have shown that more employees perform better when given freedom to do their work on their own than when they are “caged” or dragooned into doing their jobs. A farm in Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria (Segilola Integrated Farms Nigeria Limited) experimented remote working arrangement with its production and marketing department workers by allowing them to come to work anytime they like and working on targets. The farm eradicated the normal 8.00 am resumption time and 5.00 pm closing time. Workers are not on salaries but commission based on performance.

Workers who do not have anything to do in the office may not come to office. Workers are also free to ask for their schedule from home and when they are scheduled to work outside; they do not have to come to the office. Within a year, their production doubled! Workers feel great when they are recognised as “contributors” to the business success and not as part of “office tools”. When you allow most employees freedom to think for the organisation, giving them targets and telling them what they should do, they perform more than when you treat them as a “child” and ask them to work in a supervised system. Most workers are afraid of working in an office environment because of office politics, humiliation, and distractions.

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