Remote working: will we be zooming out of the office?

Partners:

The guidelines for working at home during the pandemic may have gone, but many workers want to stay put. A survey by the Office of National Statistics (ONS) in June 2021 showed that of adults working from home, 85 per cent wanted their employers to adopt a hybrid approach.

Advances in digital technology have made it possible for employees to undertake many tasks from home, and many argue that remote working gives them control over their work/life balance. Workers say they can spend time with their children in the park in the morning and catch up with work later in the day, doing household chores in between Zoom calls or go jogging at lunch time. But remote working can also make it difficult to clock off. In 2020, the ONS revealed that home workers did about six hours of unpaid overtime on average per week, compared to 3.6 hours by those who never worked from home.

Others point to the advantage of avoiding the arduous commute, while some say that working remotely teaches workers how to value outputs of work rather than the number of hours spent at the office. Some even argue that they are more productive working from home. Another issue is that, unlike the office environment, home is seen as a safe place to work from, protected not just from the virus, but also from bullies and other forms of harassment. Age seems to be a factor in how people view collective office working, with younger workers much keener to get back to the office than older workers.

Moreover, flexibility is only for white-collar staff. About two-thirds of the British workforce have no choice but to work outside the home, in sectors ranging from social and health care, personal services, rubbish collection, manufacturing, the extractive industries and construction. Employers themselves are at great pains to encourage their employees to return to the office. While some have offered perks like extra bonuses, free food and special holidays, others like Google and Facebook have said salaries have to be recalibrated if employees moved to lower-cost regions. Closer to home, a cabinet minister aired the view that civil servants may have their wages cut if they refuse to come back to the office.

Not all people who support returning to in-office working are bosses concerned with productivity. Some office workers, like those in call centres, miss the comradeship and sociability that office life provides to break up the day, pointing to the loneliness of endless calls from the kitchen table. Office romances, friendships and water-cooler chat are almost impossible without a buzzing workspace. Others argue that it is less easy for older and more experienced workers to mentor and coach their younger colleagues while working remotely.

Should we support the right of employees to work from home as and when they choose? What does it really say about the office environment and office work that so many do not want to return there? What is the impact on employees’ mental health, especially as some surveys report that this is the biggest challenge facing people working on their own? And are the benefits of remote working really what they are made out to be, or will workers, their firms and society lose out?