It has been three years since remote working started being widely practiced worldwide. Yet, managers and employees still disagree on its effectiveness within the organization.
According to a survey done by Harvard Business Review, managers are more likely to say that remote working harms productivity, while employees are more likely to say it helps.
The disagreement hinges on what people think counts as productivity—for example, the commute.
Employees tend to include commuting time in their mental calculations, so not having to commute when they work from home counts as an increase in productivity. On the other hand, managers are just focused on how much work is getting done each day.
Productivity is not the only place of contention between managers and employees. When asked what happens to workers who stay home on “work days,” 31% of employees answered “nothing” while 32% of managers said that worker was risking termination.
With this argument still going on, Harvard Business Review said that the best solution is a hybrid setup with two to three “anchor days” where workers must go to the office.
Companies should use these anchor days for meetings, group activities, training, and lunches so that employees see the value of coming together.
At the same time, managers should actively encourage working from home on non-anchor days, so employees can enjoy the benefits without fear that they’re missing out on something at the office.
With full-office setups getting rejected by more employees today, a hybrid approach is a perfect solution to keep employees and managers happy.
After all, we are already in the future of work. Everyone needs to get on the same page to continue effective collaboration.