Before the pandemic, many employers had reservations or even prejudices about teleworking. But since March 2020, companies have had to adapt. Whatever their opinions about this way of working, telework has made it possible to follow health rules and reduce the spread of Covid-19. And according to a Stanford University survey on post-pandemic telecommuting, those who want to work from home post-pandemic would like to be able to do so about two days a week.
But opinions are still divided on working from home; so here we will take an in-depth look at some of the advantages and disadvantages of teleworking.
The Benefits Of Working From Home
1. Better Work-Life Balance
By staying home to work, employees have a better work-life balance. However, this can also be seen as a disadvantage, because it represents a challenge to juggle work at home, as well as family. But if working from home can effectively be separated from family time, leading to a well-balanced lifestyle, the quality of life for families is improved overall, and they experience less stress.
2. Lower Costs
Reduce costs for companies by reducing office rental costs, and by avoiding employee travel. This way of working brings changes to our way of life; employees save a lot of time and money every day because they do not have to travel to work, and so they can live further from the office. In addition, telework reduces traffic and pollution.
3. Avoid Running Late And Reduce Absences
With teleworking, we no longer have any problems with traffic, metro breakdowns or even road accidents. The absenteeism rate of employees decreases, as well as delays in the office.
4. Increase Productivity
There is, among some, the preconception that telework threatens employee productivity – that when at home, employees relax. But research contradicts this prejudice, and most employees actually show an increase in their productivity. Moreover, knowledge of information technologies, as well as being well equipped, are factors that significantly improve productivity when teleworking.
Disadvantages Of Teleworking
1. Data Privacy
Many companies are afraid of compromising the confidentiality of their data once employees can access it outside of the physical premises of the office. We know that cybersecurity is an important issue in telework, which is why we offer training on cybersecurity solutions. They will help you protect your business data and enable you to meet the highest cybersecurity standards. The key to avoiding this disadvantage is to acquire the necessary resources to protect against cyber threats.
2. Isolation
In addition to feeling more isolated, experiencing less socialization with colleagues, and a reduced sense of belonging in the company, employees who work remotely tend to work more and take fewer breaks. This can lead to feeling demoralized and unmotivated in the long run. All of these factors, when taken together, can have an impact on the mental health of employees. That’s why it’s important to use tools like Microsoft Teams to reduce the feeling of isolation within a company, and to stay in touch with our colleagues.
In Short
There are a lot of mixed opinions about teleworking, and we still don’t know for sure if it’ll stick around post-pandemic. Many employees believe that their companies will establish a hybrid home-office system.
The important thing with working from home is to be well equipped: to work in an ergonomic environment, to have the right tools for cybersecurity, and to acquire knowledge on the most suitable solutions for working well in a remote team (like Microsoft Teams) so as not to feel isolated and to facilitate collaboration between colleagues effectively.
If you have any questions about teleworking and how to improve it in your company, do not hesitate to contact one of our specialists at MS Solutions.
