Working from home is more popular than ever, with a reported 1.5 million people working from home in the UK alone. However, some traditional businesses seem to be wary of introducing flexible or remote working, despite increasing pressure from employees.
There are clear benefits to working from home, such as reported increases in productivity, and lowered rates of sickness and absence. Those who work from home generally report being happy with the situation, particularly when it comes to avoiding long commutes and being able to focus. So why do employers continue to believe the opposite?
Here are some of the most common working from home myths, debunked:
Employees Won’t Be as Productive
Boris Johnson once joked about working from home: “we all know that is basically sitting wondering whether to go down to the fridge to hack off that bit of cheese before checking your emails again.” This kind of attitude encapsulates the main issue many have with remote working.
Despite this, many employees report that without distraction, they are more focused on their tasks. If you do sense an issue with productivity and remote working, then it is better to implement strategies to manage this, rather than dismiss the concept entirely.
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It’s Bad for Morale
There is a misconception that remote working means unhappy employees, given there is less opportunity for face-to-face time. Despite this, the opposite is true, with remote workers reporting lower stress levels, particularly when not forced to make long and stressful commutes.
Meetings Will Die Out
Video conferencing or conference calls are the obvious answer to this, but also consider the fact that working from home does not always mean exclusively working from home – it is perfectly acceptable to expect employees to attend meetings at the office on a semi-regular basis.
Clients Won’t Take the Business Seriously
This is entirely a misconception, usually based upon the negative attitude that more traditional offices hold. Given that there are numerous reported benefits to remote working, including excellent financial savings, it is unlikely clients will consider your employees to not be serious about their work.
However, if clients really do display this kind of attitude, then perhaps the easiest way to debunk the myth is to show them directly how remote working can work for your business.