How life was before the pandemic:
Snooze the alarm at least two times. Drag yourself out of bed, get ready, commute to work, and start working in the physical proximity of your employees.
How life is now:
Snooze the alarm, at least two times. Drag yourself out of bed… No, wait! No need. Open your laptop, log in, and ask questions like, “Am I audible?”, “How about now?”, “Can you see me?” Then start working with your employees digitally.
The scenario we are in can be the new normal that’s imposed upon us. Today, an organization has no choice but to work from home to put safety first. But tomorrow? Will you go back to the conventional way of working? Are employee benefits higher while working from home? The employee sentiment will help you decide.
Let’s Hear It From the Horse’s Mouth
A survey revealed that 79% of the employees felt as productive at home as they did at the workplace. 88% had the resources and tools to work productively, and 76% felt connected to their colleagues.
Employee engagement and productivitywas high for those who worked with large organizations. The company culture of large organizations made them feel more supported. The ones in the financial services sector had the most positive sentiment.
The Desi Scenario
The situation is different for employees across the globe as compared with the employees working remotely in India. The Indian workers stand divided. While 53% prefer telecommuting, 47% would like to work from an office space, taking in the corporate culture.
Working from home adds to the employee benefits that Indians have as well. Many in the country commute for long hours, navigating through high traffic, now end up saving a lot of time and energy.
With that said, work from home is not all about employee perks. The downside is the non-availability of digital infrastructure that’s robust and reliable, especially for small and medium organizations. Lack of technology can act as a massive roadblock.
On the Other Side of the Coin
About 70% of organizations in India have noticed a drop in productivity. It doesn’t put them in favour of the work-from-home culture. But the reasons for low productivity can range from distractions, lockdown stress, or lack of resources.
The best way for you to find out if employees are happy with the work from home culture is to survey on your own. Ask your employees what they feel. They’ll appreciate that you care!
Think of questions like these:
- On a scale of 1 to 10 (1 being bad and 10 being good), how do you feel about working from home?
- Have you worked from home before?
- Are you working in a healthy environment that promotes work-life balance?
- Do you feel more productive than working from an office space?
You’ll get actionable insights.
What Employees Want
Understanding and meeting the needs of your employees is just what you need to run a successful organization. Boost their morale by making room for maximum employee benefits. Here’s what they want:
- A hybrid of flexible work from home culture and working in an office environment, post the pandemic.
- A way to integrate personal interaction, despite working remotely.
- Basic technical support from the company they work for to weed out issues.
- An understanding that working from home involves other distractions and noises.
- Fun engagement activities that can be implemented digitally to foster professional bonds.
We see that more employees are inclined towards working from home, than one would think. Remote working offers a chance for them to improve their work-life balance. However, for some, it can act as an inconvenience. If you listen to your employees, you’ll know that a combination of both, may be the future.
