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The concept of remote work and its impact on worker productivity and motivation was discussed long before the Covid-19 pandemic. Study conducted at Stanford University in 2013 with 500 employees in China reported worker productivity increased by 13% in consequence of working remotely in a quieter environment.
The pandemic has forced employers and governments all over the world to adopt the remote working model. According statisticsRevenue from the worldwide collaboration software market grew by a whopping $15.9 billion in 2019 to $19.2 billion in 2021. These numbers are expected to extend over the following few years as digital transformation and remote working proceed.
Some corporations consider a hybrid working model to be the perfect practice, while others are making efforts to bring employees back to the office. In September 2022, Kastle Systems, a key card property management company that monitors entrances and exits to office buildings, reported that some corporations have almost 50% of office space.
So how has remote work affected worker relationships? The way in which they connect on an expert and even friendly level?
We conducted a survey within the US across a large age range, asking participants about their experiences with remote and hybrid working models and the way it affected their productivity and relationships with colleagues.
Participants
To grasp the role of remote working in the inner network of employers, we included participants from 31 states who either work completely remotely or use a hybrid working model. The survey sample included a various group of recipients, as people of various ages and from different industries have different preferences with regards to the methods and tools they use to perform tasks.
- 82% of the participants were between 25 and 44 years old.
- 18% were aged between 45 and 55.
Most worked in a wide range of industries, including but not limited to finance, software, healthcare, and knowledge services.
Related: Employers: Productivity amongst your remote employees is not an issue – your proximity bug is.
Remote work and productivity
71% of our participants said their productivity had improved over the past two years. One other 21% said it had not modified and eight% thought it had deteriorated.
This was no surprise. Eliminating commuting hours, preparing meals at home and being near family are elements that employees appreciated. in words Allyson Zimmermann, executive director at Catalyst, “access to remote work improves worker well-being, productivity, innovation and inclusion.”
Against this, nobody under the age of 34 reported a decline in productivity.
Remote work and relationships with colleagues
Despite the indisputable fact that remote work removes the road between work and residential, people have been able to determine methods to speak with colleagues without becoming a burden. A lot in order that for some, working remotely has improved their relationships with colleagues.
67% of our participants imagine that their relationship with colleagues has improved within the last two years. This figure was sufficiently higher among the many younger age groups, with 73.8% of respondents aged 25-34 answering affirmatively.
That is in line with Results Dan Schwable, managing partner of Workplace Intelligence, who highlights that “over the past 12 months, their relationships with supervisors (32%), teammates (25%) and colleagues from other teams (21%) have improved %).”
“When people trust each other and have social capital, you are likely to take risks, more innovation and creativity, and fewer groupthink.”
Interaction methods
Whatever the advantages of working remotely, employees can feel lonely. Nancy Baym, Jonathan Larso and Ronnie Martin with Harvard Business Review intimately“The spontaneous informal interactions which can be compromised in hybrid and remote work are neither distracting nor unproductive. They foster worker connections that drive productivity and innovation – these interactions are the soil through which ideas grow.”
Nonetheless, participants in our survey shared different methods their employers promote in personal relationships:
- 26% said socializing was their company’s method.
- 23% of our attendees said their company does this through retreats and off-site meetings.
It’s price noting that some corporations are encouraging remote interactions with co-workers:
- 23% connect via digital interactive office solutions.
- 11% interact through online video game sessions.
Admittedly, we tried the last two spots at Covve, hosting virtual gaming nights and online yoga sessions once a month with great success, bringing our teams together.
Along with the answers above, we invited participants to share other activities that will help them interact higher with colleagues at work. Essentially the most outstanding responses were:
- Incorporating outdoor activities and sports into the corporate’s schedule.
- Department-wide lunches or occasional dinners with colleagues. It’s a method introduced at Google (after which more widely in Silicon Valley) to encourage employees to eat together, connect and share ideas for brand spanking new projects.
- Introduction of bi-weekly or monthly mentoring sessions.
- Working together on volunteer activities and social service projects.
Related: Easy methods to strengthen communication in remote and hybrid teams
Application
The important thing message of our findings is that while remote work has increased worker productivity and improved their relationships, it has not eliminated the necessity for social interaction.
Corporate networking and bonding proceed to be greatly facilitated during corporate outings and meetings. While online interactions and even video games are novel and growing methods of connecting employees in a remote or hybrid workplace, employees still need to return together for drinks, food, exercise, and even volunteering. That is well explained by A research-backed article by Edward Glaeser and David Cutler in The Washington Post, who argue that “within the medium to long run, remote employment cannot deliver the important thing advantages – including learning and latest friendships – of face-to-face contact. “