PLEAAASSEE PLEASE COME BACK TO THE OFFICE PLS
PLEAAASSEE PLEASE COME BACK TO THE OFFICE PLS
They can all fuck right off. Here's the article if anyone's interested: https://www.forbes.com/sites/benjaminlaker/2023/08/02/working-from-home-leads-to-decreased-productivity-research-reveals/
Here is a link to the actual study (PDF via GDrive)
One of the authors of this paper is from the Chicago School and the Hoover Institution. Both are pro-business, anti-worker think-tanks that have been this way for decades. They also don't do any research of their own, but cite other papers that show the 5-20% reduction.
However, the methodology mentioned in the papers is suspect. First, they show that remote workers have the same productivity, but work longer hours. So the net output doesn't go down, they just spend more time working. Which raises the question: How many more breaks were they taking throughout the day? Being remote means a much more flexible schedule, so it's not uncommon to take longer breaks if you're a salaried worker.
Another study was IT professionals shifting to remote work at one company at the start of the pandemic. This one showed an 18% reduction in productivity. But considering the timing of this and that company culture and procedures can contribute to this, it doesn't seem to be a valid data point.
Then they bring up some common criticisms of WFH, which I've seen and refuted since I started working from home 2009: People can't communicate, working in groups is harder, and people can't control themselves. Yawn.
Honestly, the fact that they cherry picked hybrid work as being equally productive shows me this isn't about productivity, it's about keeping offices open. Which makes sense considering one of the authors is affiliated with groups that want to prop up the commercial rental business.
I swear, when I'm called into the office I get fuck all nothing done. Like once in a while there's a reason for me to be on site, and I do that thing and nothing else all day.
Distractions, interruptions, noise, general discomfort. Seems every time I actually start making progress on something, a person stops by my desk and that basically erases whatever I did. So it always ends with "I'll do it tomorrow when I'm at home".
It's both decreasing productivity AND saving the economy!!!
https://fortune.com/2023/08/01/remote-work-preventing-economy-from-recession/
Such an incredible paradox 🤯
“Please send the planet further into its end with global warming by heating it with transportation needs just so I can talk to your face in real”
These people should be fired. Also they should be penalized by never being permitted to have a warm shower ever again. Reused water all the way down. They can do double time when it comes to mending the planet.
Let's be honest, Forbes has been a trashhole for a while.
Sure, some people work better when surrounded by colleagues. Those people usually know that and will seek out on-site work, because it probably also makes them happier.
People who are more efficient at home probably also feel better at home and will seek out remote work.
If you want a much smaller hiring pool, more office upkeep costs and more transport emissions, sure make everyone come into the office... it's so dumb to do this.
IMO if your sector lends itself to remote work and it's not working for your company, you're doing something else wrong.
Lmaooooooo Forbes runs a story on a report that's still in draft (the references section header reads very incomplete), just to spread propaganda that "working from home doesn't work!!!!!!!!"
I like going into the office sometimes and the one I'm in is real nice, but I know some are awful, and commutes can be way longer than mine! (one-way 40 minutes by bus).
The same study says hybrid work (1-4 of 5 days remote work) provided on average a small positive change in productivity.
I'm shocked people still read: Forbes, fortune and business insider.
What ever legitimacy they once held in the business world is long gone. All three of them went click bait long before COVID (BI was always a click bait outfit) and I find their content to be on par with UK gossip rags or the National Enquirer.
Suggestion, start filtering out these three sites from your news gathering and stop sharing articles on social media from them. It'll make the world a better place!
Simply working leads to reduced income. If your raises aren't keeping up with inflation, you've been effectively paid less with every paycheck. And now the worker is expected to increase expense and lose free time in order to get paid less, just to prop up someone else's real estate investments? Fuck that. You want me to come in? Start by paying me more.
Listened to a podcast about this earlier in the week. The research test case was call center workers. Seems like bullshit to generalize like this for all work types. Also, let’s remember how high productivity was during the pandemic when everyone was working from home.
For me personally, my productivity is boosted. Without a commute I end up working an additional 2 hours a day. I have more time to focus and spend less time at lunch. In the office, my coworkers and the environment is distracting. I spend an hour at lunch with my coworkers.
Additionally, all meetings are now remote. Even in the office, people call in from their desks. There is no reason to be in the office.
Linking the paper "cited" in this article here. It's almost like the author didn't even read the executive summary...
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1kqbngD8pemqxAkZmWCOQ32Yk6PXK9eVA/view
I dunno giving people more freedom tends to improve their productivity and they get more work done in less time than some micro manging wanker
When I come to office (one day per week), I come to have a great time with colleagues. No one forces me, I can work fully remote, it's just nice to have colleagues around. We go for a vape, for a lunch, for a walk. Good times. Ohh, and also few meetings that day, since I live ~150km away from office lol.
I openly say in office that I can't work from office. Basically socializing and that's it. Productivity almost zero.
While on the other hand, working from home is where I shine. I can fully focus on my scripting/coding/automation stuff.
"workers want to come back to the office. It's very good. We're serious. They've told us. You can definitely trust us" ~capitalist assholes writing these "articles"
Productivity has a long way to fall before it gets back in line with wages, so I don't think workers should be too concerned.
Cries in real estate value
Look I work from home, I think everyone who can (and wants to) work from home should work from home most of the time. But people are definitely less productive working from home, and I think the people who say that most people are more productive are delusional.
There are more important things than just raw productivity numbers, western workers have been working far too hard and far too long for the last half century, and I think we should return to a more humane approach to working.
Also froma purely selfish capitalist perspective I don't neccesarily think the productivity boost of being in person is worth all the costs of a bigger office, cleaning staff etc.
Nothing like trying to tell your workers
Hey! We spent millions on this office space so you can work for pennies on the dollar! Come back so we can make more money you'll never see a cent of or you are fired!
Fuck Forbes!
A lot of people seem to just be reacting to this without reading and understand. Granted, Forbs does not go sufficiently in depth to the findings to make this easy.
From what I've read on this, the underlying study here has valuable information that we can all use, understand, and digest.
Does your role require a lot of colaberation? You may need to ensure you have something better than email and phones to replace your ability to talk to someone who would have otherwise sat next to you.
Do you have a lot of junior employees? You will likely need to spend more effort on ensuring they get the quality training they need.
Like.... Sure. A CEO could easily read the title of this article and decide to just bring everyone back to the office without thinking critically. But that doesn't mean we should do the opposite we should be arming ourselves with this information so we can know how to counter our boss's arguments to ensure we can get what we want.
I’m sure it does for people who aren’t motivated.
But those same people don’t work in office either, they just walk around and bullshit all day.
I am way more productive at home than I am in office. Partly purposefully out of spite, and partly because my home work space is better in every way than my office environment. Quieter, more comfortable, better equipment, better internet, even better resilience because of my UPSes.
That's a lie. I can never relax at work so I can never jump in at 100percent
How else will they justify spending money on these huge office buildings (monuments to capitalists) to their investors if you aren’t there pretending to be busy?
If commercial property developers could hurry up and go bust we could be done with this sooner.
Productivity skyrocketed when we implemented work from home. Employee retention also improved. Keeping it was a no brainer.
I find this really hard to believe. I like going in to work, but I don't work in a standard office (engineer on industrial site). If I were to be working in an office all day though, no way would I prefer that to home.
I feel like the only people who read Forbes and take it at face value have never worked a day in their lives.
Funny that I've seen tons of research saying the opposite. Enough to say, at a minimum, that the verdict is still very much out on the link between productivity and remote work. But I only see the negative ones being published now, whereas during COVID I only saw the positive ones.
Do these folks factor in people who have to waste 1 hour in commuting to and from the office? Or do they pay for that as well?
Haha no it doesn't :) :)
In my personal experience. No it does not reduce productivity.
The whole "working from home reduces productivity" is non-sense simply because companies can simply put poor performers on a performance improvement plan and if they don't improve then fire them. But they're not doing that in droves, so therefore, it's just not true.
But people are definitely less productive working from home
How so? I personally think it's a very personal matter. I am far more productive working from home, mostly because I don't get distracted by colleagues who spend hours bantering only to then stay in the company until later to compensate for the banter - I'd rather get my work done so I can end my day on time and go home do the fun stuff. But I do have colleagues who say they get distracted easily when working at home and they'd rather work at the office.
Overall though, my company used to be very against working from home, but after the period of mandatory work from home, management admitted overall productivity had increased. They still insist people should come to the office every now and then to maintain the "friendly" environment the company is supposed to have, though, which is fair I guess.
It seems like you're discussing various studies and opinions on remote work productivity, highlighting both positive and critical perspectives. If you're looking for tools or strategies that can support increased productivity in a remote or hybrid work environment, one effective solution is time tracking and management software.
Tools like https://timechamp.io/ can help employees and teams:
-
Track Time Effectively: By monitoring how time is spent throughout the workday, employees can better understand their productivity patterns and optimize their workflows.
-
Set Goals and Priorities: Establishing clear goals and priorities helps employees stay focused and ensures they are working on tasks that contribute directly to their objectives.
-
Manage Breaks and Work-Life Balance: Encouraging regular breaks and managing work-life balance is crucial for sustaining productivity over the long term. TimeChamp can help by scheduling breaks and ensuring employees are not overworking.
-
Enhance Communication: While remote work can pose challenges in communication, tools integrated with collaboration features can facilitate effective team communication, reducing misunderstandings and enhancing productivity.
-
Analyze Productivity Trends: By analyzing data and trends over time, managers can identify bottlenecks, inefficiencies, and areas for improvement, ultimately boosting overall productivity.
These tools support remote and hybrid work models by providing insights into time management, goal setting, and communication, fostering a productive work environment regardless of location.
-
