New Research found Work from home workers to be less productive

[ChiBitCTy]

I work from home and absolutely love it.  Here's the thing, if I do my job well, it doesn't matter if I take a nap during the middle of the day (and I absolutely do sometimes), or if I stop working around 12-1pm on Fridays (which I typically do), as long as I'm getting my job done and it a good manner, my boss doesn't care.  It's nice to work for a job that's like this, as I know some jobs mean there's always work to do when you're clocked in..so I could of course see people that work from home being less productive in a position like this. 

I also work on the weekends sometimes, as well late in to the afternoon..so there are some trade-offs.

[isaac_clarke22]

Not all those who work in a company are more productive anyway, we are now in a world where what you have to offer is what will bring food to your table, either you are working from home or not, you ain't getting paid if you don't do your work right, isn't this the case?

Productivity is what we should be after and not what other people are saying about the work conditions irrespective of being a home or office location job, how effective can we deliver what is within our capacity and what is being expected of us, the capacity to how far we can deliver depends on our ability and personal interest, where we think we can perform best give the best quality delivery in our abilities, what you give in is what you receive back as reward to your labour in form of wages, location should not be a barrier.

Well depending on the work condition lies where your productivity go. Surely you're not into some toxic work conditions wherein you're almost getting micromanaged by some higher ups about what you're doing.

People want to be productive but they tend to just go with it in their work condition without even trying to change how their workplace goes. This is why I really love to WFH although I do not have anything against RTO.

[edy_58]

I work from home and absolutely love it.  Here's the thing, if I do my job well, it doesn't matter if I take a nap during the middle of the day (and I absolutely do sometimes), or if I stop working around 12-1pm on Fridays (which I typically do), as long as I'm getting my job done and it a good manner, my boss doesn't care.  It's nice to work for a job that's like this, as I know some jobs mean there's always work to do when you're clocked in..so I could of course see people that work from home being less productive in a position like this. 

I also work on the weekends sometimes, as well late in to the afternoon..so there are some trade-offs.

It is true that doing work at home will be more productive if we do according to what the boss imposes on his employees, but for bosses who allow their employees to work at home, of course they already know the productivity of their employees at work so there is no doubt for the leadership if their employees do work wherever they like. Doing weekend work I think is a good thing to get extra income for us but this is not done every weekend, of course it will be very boring if done every weekend.

[dothebeats]

Not all those who work in a company are more productive anyway, we are now in a world where what you have to offer is what will bring food to your table, either you are working from home or not, you ain't getting paid if you don't do your work right, isn't this the case?

Productivity is what we should be after and not what other people are saying about the work conditions irrespective of being a home or office location job, how effective can we deliver what is within our capacity and what is being expected of us, the capacity to how far we can deliver depends on our ability and personal interest, where we think we can perform best give the best quality delivery in our abilities, what you give in is what you receive back as reward to your labour in form of wages, location should not be a barrier.

Well depending on the work condition lies where your productivity go. Surely you're not into some toxic work conditions wherein you're almost getting micromanaged by some higher ups about what you're doing.

People want to be productive but they tend to just go with it in their work condition without even trying to change how their workplace goes. This is why I really love to WFH although I do not have anything against RTO.

You have a point here. Various aspects affect the productivity of every individual. I sure know some people who are not able to work with even just a tiny bit of mess on their work table, but I also know people who can be really product despite the chaos ensuing in their surroundings. We all work differently under different circumstances. What is important is that we know how to manage ourselves and ensure that we are comfortable working no matter what our work setting is. If you are WFH, find a way to make the best of it. If you are on-site then make adjustments and adapt. Productivity can be achieved if you make changes and adapt to your needs.

[Peanutswar]

A study published by the American private nonprofit research organization the National Bureau of Economic Research found that the productivity of workers randomly assigned to work from home was 18% lower than that of those in the office.
https://africa.businessinsider.com/careers/new-research-finds-that-fully-remote-workers-are-less-productive-than-their-in-office/4vxn4sy

These researchers found that if you work from home you will be less efficient and productive than people who from their office. Can we say the same about freelance workers?  Do you think that if workers are given the chance to "own" a task like freelancers they'll be more productive because it is just like being self-employed where you treat it as your business and not with the mindset of another man's business?

Not as always will you fulfill your work at the full 8 hours, sometimes you can easily do with the workload at least a 2-4 hours so people now will do nothing in the office or else they will seek more task just to prevent get nothing to do in their work station and will get noticed by their manager and supervisors, lets accept the fact that this always happens in work. Also those people in the work-from-home set up doesn't need to deal too much time for their transportation, breakfast, etc. which consumes time before the work time actually starts so sure they will less productive. But if you are kind of boss doesn't want to have an employee get idle I guess gives all the possible task into them and have a weekly report.

[slapper]

A person can be more productive working at home if they are consistent in carrying out their work. They can even get other additional jobs if they have more free time.  On the other hand, someone who works in an office looks more monotonous because they are burdened by the targets set by the company and only do the same tasks every day.

Yeah right. But this all seems to depend on which vantage point we take to assess the decrease and increase in productivity itself. If the decrease and increase in productivity is for the benefit of the company, maybe working in an office is indeed getting better. But when it comes to productivity for employee or personal income, working at home seems to be able to make productivity for personal gain better. Because if an employee works at home then he can work while also working on the side which can make him have double income. i.e. main and additional income. Well this increases productivity for the employees themselves in matters of personal gain. But if you talk about increasing and decreasing the productivity of work by an employee for the benefit of the company, it is clear that there will be a slight decrease in this case. Because employees who are employed at home will definitely not only focus on one job. The employee will focus on personal gain and only work enough for the company and the rest of the time he will work on the side to make more money.

The mere suggestion that an employee working from home would undoubtedly focus on personal side jobs at the expense of the main job is not just naive but shows a lack of understanding of human behavior. Just as environments change, so do adaptability and motivations. Do not assume that a physical office is the pantheon of productivity! It's a facade; a relic of a bygone era

Remote work gives employees the flexibility they desire, and this flexibility can very well lead to a surge in productivity if managed effectively. Instead of spewing baseless conjectures, perhaps it's time to evolve and understand the changing dynamics of work and productivity. Your archaic views can't hold water in the modern world

[Lorence.xD]

Not all those who work in a company are more productive anyway, we are now in a world where what you have to offer is what will bring food to your table, either you are working from home or not, you ain't getting paid if you don't do your work right, isn't this the case?

Productivity is what we should be after and not what other people are saying about the work conditions irrespective of being a home or office location job, how effective can we deliver what is within our capacity and what is being expected of us, the capacity to how far we can deliver depends on our ability and personal interest, where we think we can perform best give the best quality delivery in our abilities, what you give in is what you receive back as reward to your labour in form of wages, location should not be a barrier.

Well depending on the work condition lies where your productivity go. Surely you're not into some toxic work conditions wherein you're almost getting micromanaged by some higher ups about what you're doing.

People want to be productive but they tend to just go with it in their work condition without even trying to change how their workplace goes. This is why I really love to WFH although I do not have anything against RTO.

You have a point here. Various aspects affect the productivity of every individual. I sure know some people who are not able to work with even just a tiny bit of mess on their work table, but I also know people who can be really product despite the chaos ensuing in their surroundings. We all work differently under different circumstances. What is important is that we know how to manage ourselves and ensure that we are comfortable working no matter what our work setting is. If you are WFH, find a way to make the best of it. If you are on-site then make adjustments and adapt. Productivity can be achieved if you make changes and adapt to your needs.

Its indeed depends on the environment and those people surrounds you that can helps you to become productive. I believe that your environment can affect your performance even as a student. If your living alone then it would be a great situation to WFH. In my case, here in my neighborhood is literally noisy since I live in a city area which is just middle class so you would expect this people who just loiter everyday. Plus I have many dogs which is too alert to any noises, if they just heard someone talking they would just bark at them which I need them to calm.

I can't blame them if that's the way of their living but if its affect my performance at work I would just rather to work at site. There you would be airconditioned all day, free snacks and coffees. There will be always a toxic co-workers and I believe it would be rare to have none, I just don't give a sht about them at all I just like the benefits at site. And I think when I'm at home it would be just I'm at my comfort zone so I think it would be better to experience work on-site so you could have some connections too from great people.

[libert19]

Study mentioned was done in Chennai, I'd say Indian homes are least conducive for work. Here is similar study [1] done in Netherlands, results are opposite. Point being, such survey results are only good for that particular part where they are done, and should not be used to judge broadly.


[1] https://www.pagepersonnel.nl/en/advice/market-updates/remote-working-can-lead-higher-productivity-and-motivation

[suzanne5223]

I believe the researcher that make the statement that working from home will make people less efficient and productive than people who from their office make this statement base on the impression and statement once made by Elon Musk when he cancel the idea of Twitter employees working from home this is the exact statement he makes to be the reason why he cancels it.

Elon Musk have big thoughts and to execute those things isn't an easy thing. He saw the decline in the progress of the current X, and he made the claim over the employees. If he had analysed well about the reason behind the same, he could've understood that his activities were the reason behind and not the employees. In my view when people are provided with work from home they'll work in a much relaxed manner than having the pressure of reaching the office on time. Making arrangements for the lunch and all other additional tasks gets cut.

What I hate about Elon Musk's activities on Twitter now known as X is how he put some limits to the tweet and participation of users who are not premium and later complain about the development team working from home not helping the situation.
What I also believe is that people working in a relaxed environment are more productive than people working from a pressured environment.

[Hamphser]

I believe the researcher that make the statement that working from home will make people less efficient and productive than people who from their office make this statement base on the impression and statement once made by Elon Musk when he cancel the idea of Twitter employees working from home this is the exact statement he makes to be the reason why he cancels it.

Elon Musk have big thoughts and to execute those things isn't an easy thing. He saw the decline in the progress of the current X, and he made the claim over the employees. If he had analysed well about the reason behind the same, he could've understood that his activities were the reason behind and not the employees. In my view when people are provided with work from home they'll work in a much relaxed manner than having the pressure of reaching the office on time. Making arrangements for the lunch and all other additional tasks gets cut.

What I hate about Elon Musk's activities on Twitter now known as X is how he put some limits to the tweet and participation of users who are not premium and later complain about the development team working from home not helping the situation.
What I also believe is that people working in a relaxed environment are more productive than people working from a pressured environment.

Talking about that limitation just because of having that non premium then this is what the standard things that we should have nowadays or becoming that a part on where these companies would

be normally be having those premium account charges or needing to pay up something on which this is really just that a normal approach.Yes, it does affect out in overall experience but if you dont
like such condition then you would be needing to pay something but if not then you would be needing to deal with that shit condition. About productiveness then it would really be entirely
be depending on a certain individual because whether you are working remotely or on an office if someone doesnt really like to do their job then there's nothing we can do.

Being efficient or not doesnt really depend on the workplace but rather it would really be depending on a certain individual whether they would really be doing their job or not.

[blckhawk]

Let me tell you the reason why this research found that out, because it's probably backed by companies that have offices and right now with the trend of WFH being at an all time high, their paying for these offices that has no people in it which in the companies' perspective, the offices will be a waste of their money thus losing their leases which upsets the landlords as the value of the land loses because no one is using it. They hate that the employees can do their work at home and at the same time they are losing money especially the landlords.

[dothebeats]

Study mentioned was done in Chennai, I'd say Indian homes are least conducive for work. Here is similar study [1] done in Netherlands, results are opposite. Point being, such survey results are only good for that particular part where they are done, and should not be used to judge broadly.


[1] https://www.pagepersonnel.nl/en/advice/market-updates/remote-working-can-lead-higher-productivity-and-motivation

Thank you for the source. This is what I mean by stating that it depends on various factors. This example shows how economic status and the environment of the place affect productivity whether it be at home or on-site. The study that was mentioned's scope is far too closed off to conclude that everyone have the same experience. Different country, different financial capacity, different environment, and different attitude of individuals needs to be considered in this type of research as well as the study's scope before a conclusion is made.

[adzino]

Don't know how much accurate this "research" is, but it depends from person to person. There are people that wouldn't get work done or are "lazy" and would require constant supervision. If they aren't pushed, they won't be working efficiently. Then there are people that are more productive when they work from home, since they don't have to "deal" with people and can work at their own pace without worrying about anything. Then there are jobs that will consider you inefficient and less productive if you aren't delivering more than you should have....

[Kakmakr]

I think it is different for everyone... because some disciplined people will be more productive and the lazy types will be less productive. It also depends on the environment that they work in.... say for instance that they have a lot of distractions (like kids) ...then those people will be less productive.

I have friends that had to set aside a study just for work and they had to force themselves not to go back to work, because it was in such close proximity. (  (They have to lock the door as if they left the office to keep them from going back and working for hours)

A lot of them will take a power nap during the day and then they will be refreshed and willing to work for extra hours during the day. 

[mvdheuvel1983]

I work from home and absolutely love it.  Here's the thing, if I do my job well, it doesn't matter if I take a nap during the middle of the day (and I absolutely do sometimes), or if I stop working around 12-1pm on Fridays (which I typically do), as long as I'm getting my job done and it a good manner, my boss doesn't care.  It's nice to work for a job that's like this, as I know some jobs mean there's always work to do when you're clocked in..so I could of course see people that work from home being less productive in a position like this.  

I also work on the weekends sometimes, as well late in to the afternoon..so there are some trade-offs.

All that matters with working from home is the result. Meeting the day's target. Once the individual is consistent in hitting it and it is not affecting the company's revenue then he is good. What I think is that some of these companies carry their toxic work habits and environment to their virtual work environment. Micromanaging, the constant demand for working long hours even on the weekends when working from home, setting unrealistic expectations from their staff, excessive criticism and many other. No staff can deliver on their work while working from home under these conditions. That isn't possible at all.

That is why I think that the research is not really complete...the researchers need to tell us about the culture in the workplace of the workers who were found to work from home but were less productive. We need to know.

[stomachgrowls]

I work from home and absolutely love it.  Here's the thing, if I do my job well, it doesn't matter if I take a nap during the middle of the day (and I absolutely do sometimes), or if I stop working around 12-1pm on Fridays (which I typically do), as long as I'm getting my job done and it a good manner, my boss doesn't care.  It's nice to work for a job that's like this, as I know some jobs mean there's always work to do when you're clocked in..so I could of course see people that work from home being less productive in a position like this.  

I also work on the weekends sometimes, as well late in to the afternoon..so there are some trade-offs.

All that matters with working from home is the result. Meeting the day's target. Once the individual is consistent in hitting it and it is not affecting the company's revenue then he is good. What I think is that some of these companies carry their toxic work habits and environment to their virtual work environment. Micromanaging, the constant demand for working long hours even on the weekends when working from home, setting unrealistic expectations from their staff, excessive criticism and many other. No staff can deliver on their work while working from home under these conditions. That isn't possible at all.

That is why I think that the research is not really complete...the researchers need to tell us about the culture in the workplace of the workers who were found to work from home but were less productive. We need to know.

Meeting the days target which would really be the most important, doesnt matter if you have finished it on the entire whole day or just on a few hours on the said particular day on which it is really just the same.It would

really just that matter on a certain worker or individual on how he would be able to accomplish those works that he had been assigned.What matter the most is that you do really finish it out and do things on what you are paid for. About efficiency then i would rather believe that those people who do work on the convenience of their own home would really be that productive since they arent really get stressed on day to day commute or traffic or not really that needing to have in transit on everyday plus they could really be able to see and watch their family while they do work.

Now that we are living on an era on which it is really that almost digital then it wont really be that shocking that we are really that gradually that switching into remote works but there are still jobs that
would really be requiring on going to office and as for us workers then we would really be needing to adapt and wont be choosing which one is available since having a work or job do matter the most.

[19Nov16]

I think work atmosphere is important, many people can be productive when the work environment is supportive, and conversely if we work from home then people think that home is a relaxed place so it won't be uplifting, in my opinion the best thing is if we want to increase high productivity is working in an office. And the fact until now is that most of the world's top companies always use the office to work and do not allow employees to sleep in the office.