The surprising truth about working from home and the growth of the collaborative workspace
The number of people working from home has increased 115 per cent in a decade, according to reports. But it isn’t a model that suits every employee – or every employer. Matthew Jenkin explores the pros and cons, and uncovers an unexpected conclusion
And yet, despite the rush to embrace home working, not everyone is convinced. An LSE study of more than 500 staff and managers(13) on attitudes towards flexible working found that many of the positive effects waned over time. Employees no longer viewed working from home as a privilege and began behaving no differently to office-based staff, producing similar results.
It was felt that there was a lack of professional support from employers and the research found there was poor communication with colleagues and limited face-to-face interactions. As a result, employees resented their employers for possibly stunting their professional development and felt less loyal to the company.
Part of the issue with working from home is that it doesn’t fundamentally change human psychology. If you are an unproductive person in the office, then it’s unlikely to change when you work from home – where there are plenty of other distractions, whether it’s the TV, household chores or half-eaten cheesecake in the fridge. You still need tactics and strategies in place to help you work effectively.
In fact, respondents to a 2017 Regus survey reported that working from home left them lonely, lacking interaction with other professionals, raiding the fridge and irritated by noisy family members.
Perhaps what’s needed is a workspace solution that combines the productivity perks of remote working while eliminating the sofa-slump. It’s no surprise, then, that as remote or home working has increased, so too has the need for co-working spaces where members can collaborate and network with like-minded people. In 2017, there were 15,500 co-working spaces globally(15). That’s up from 12,100 in 2016 and it is projected to jump to 18,900 in 2018.
Read the full report below