Remote And Hybrid Working Arrangements During The Pandemic
Is the remote work model working, or does it require a different approach?
Posted on 12-24-2020, Read Time: - Min
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2020 has been a year fraught with social, economic, and political disruptions, in large part due to the coronavirus pandemic. While some industries and jobs had already embraced remote working arrangements, most employees across the globe were still working in more traditional physical work and office settings. However, due to health concerns around Covid-19, all of the sudden most companies had to pivot, almost overnight, to a fully remote workforce.
As one would expect, this abrupt transition brought with it tremendous growing pains for organizations and difficulties for organizational leaders. Organizations had to simultaneously adopt and implement new remote working technologies, all while trying to equip and support their newly isolated workers and keep the business afloat. The past 8+ months has been quite overwhelming.
Methodology Overview
At the beginning of October, Poland-based IT firm, ClickMeeting carried out an online survey of 557 full-time workers from 5 countries (but predominantly from the UK & the U.S.), asking about their experiences working remotely during the pandemic. We wanted to know, is the remote work model working, or does it require a different approach?
Working from Home – Does it Really Work?
Remote work is not a new invention. However, although remote work has been steadily growing in popularity and use over the last decade, it has been primarily an employee perk embraced, especially by digital nomads. Considering freelancers and the gig economy alone, remote work has been a part of a business landscape long before the lockdown.
But the 2020 coronavirus lockdown changed it all. Suddenly, we were facing a “tsunami of publications and guidelines” dedicated to working from home. There were many doubts about the efficiency of working in distributed teams, and concerns circulating around this question – “are we ready for such a revolution?” Luckily, the technology was already there, so it was a matter of time to introduce it to companies’ environments. But how do newly remote workers feel about remote work now, after several months of adapting?
Figure 1 below shows that 58% of our respondents acknowledged they were complete newbies working from home when the pandemic hit. The other 42% of respondents were familiar with remote work before the Covid-19.
But the 2020 coronavirus lockdown changed it all. Suddenly, we were facing a “tsunami of publications and guidelines” dedicated to working from home. There were many doubts about the efficiency of working in distributed teams, and concerns circulating around this question – “are we ready for such a revolution?” Luckily, the technology was already there, so it was a matter of time to introduce it to companies’ environments. But how do newly remote workers feel about remote work now, after several months of adapting?
Figure 1 below shows that 58% of our respondents acknowledged they were complete newbies working from home when the pandemic hit. The other 42% of respondents were familiar with remote work before the Covid-19.
Figure 1: Experience Working Remotely
Figure 2 below shows that 61% of our respondents confirmed that work from home is still a part of their reality. However, 20% admitted that they don't work remotely at all, and another 5% stated that their profession doesn't allow them to choose that kind of work model. Lastly, 14% of respondents operate in a hybrid model, partly at home and partly at the office.
Figure 2: Current Work Arrangements
The Right Conditions and Space to Work at Home Remotely?
Back in the day, offices provided a dedicated space for their employees to perform their jobs and appropriate conditions, i.e., furniture. Transforming houses and apartments into home offices involved challenges such as lack of a proper office desk or a comfortable chair, or not enough room to create a dedicated place to work (especially if there were also kids at home). Figure 3 shows that slightly more than half of our respondents (51%) don’t have any problems with remote workspace, while 35% admit that there are some aspects they’d like to improve. Finally, 14% don’t have the right conditions and enough space to work from home.
Figure 3: At-Home Work Space
One of the main concerns from the first phase of the pandemic was about employees’ efficiency in doing their work tasks from their homes. Is the quality of their work equipment sufficient? Would remote workers need additional monitors, headsets, webcams, or printers? Figure 4 below shows that 50% of respondents confirm that they have everything sorted out as far as their equipment is concerned. For 35%, the situation is less optimistic, as they have to deal with some limitations. On the other hand, 15% of respondents still don’t have adequate equipment to perform all their work at home.
Figure 4: Work-from-Home Equipment
Rearranging home interiors into workplaces requires more extensive usage of electricity, water, heating, private Internet connection, and exploiting furniture or electronic equipment. It boils down to more costs on the employee side. Figure 5 below shows that employees expect employers to make up the difference. 69% of respondents expect compensation for using their own internet and equipment. On the other hand, 32% would like a salary bump in compensation for switching to work from home.
Figure 5: Expectations for Employers
Working Remotely During the Lockdown
We were curious about how respondents’ situations look when the pandemic hit us the hardest between March and April of 2020? As seen in Figure 6, the majority (62%) of our respondents switched to a work from home model during lockdown. However, 15% experienced hybrid work arrangements, working partly at home, partly at the office. Another 9% admitted that their companies didn’t allow them to work remotely, and remote work wasn’t possible (due to the nature of work) for 14% of respondents.
Figure 6: Work Arrangements during COVID Lockdown
Although working from home has its pros, such as not having to spend time and money to commute to the office, living and working in one place can also be challenging. Figure 7 below shows that 59% of professionals like working remotely, while 23% still prefer to work at the office. Another 18%, weren’t sure whether they like working remotely or not.
Figure 7: Like Working Remotely
Next, we wanted to discover respondents’ experiences with remote work since the pandemic hit? Did it work to their advantage? As seen in Figure 8 below, the results come in favor of work from home fans – 48% see more advantages of this remote work policy. On the other hand, more than one-third (33%) claim that it’s only another type of work, which neither brings advantages nor disadvantages. 11% of respondents who are not happy with remote work feel that there are more disadvantages.
Figure 8: Remote Work More Advantageous?
One of the main concerns of remote work arrangements, vivid among the managers skeptical about working from home, comes down to efficiency. Remote work enthusiasts, on the other hand, highlight the time-saving aspect. Figure 9 below shows that 68% agree that working remotely helps them save more time. 19% of respondents, however, firmly stand against it and say that it’s not a time-saver, and the remaining 12% of respondents feel clueless.
Figure 9: Remote Work and Saving Time
Another challenge of working from home is the social isolation. While office culture and traditional 9 to 5 working can cause stress and anxiety, it can also be exciting and fun. Offices often turned out to be our second homes – places to combine professional aspects with having a great time with teammates and professional colleagues. We asked our respondents how much they miss the good-old times and socializing with colleagues. 49% of respondents said they miss the interpersonal relationships in the office. The higher usage of video conferencing platforms after the virus outbreak has helped employees to maintain their interpersonal connections, but we still need to learn how to better use online meetings as a substitute for the more casual workplace interpersonal interactions.
Remote Work, Office Work, or a Hybrid Model?
Finally, we wanted to discover current preferences regarding staying home or coming back to an office. Figure 9 below shows that the majority (46%) of respondents prefer a hybrid model (mixture of remote and office work). 33% of respondents prefer continuing to work completely remotely, 16% prefer to return to the in-person office setting. Finally, 5% don’t have a clue where to go from here.
Figure 9: Preferences for Future Work Arrangements
Main Takeaways from Our Research
- The majority of our respondents (61%) work remotely right now (62% switched to the work from home model during the lockdown in March and April).
- Around half of the surveyed professionals agree that their equipment (50%) and conditions (51%) are good enough to perform their jobs online. The rest admit that they are facing moderate difficulties or limitations that make work from home impossible.
- As much as 69% of people who took part in our survey expect compensation for using their private internet, furniture, or equipment. 32% think that they should receive a higher salary for working at home.
- 59% enjoy remote work, whereas 23% of people still miss the in-person office experience.
- The hybrid model (working partly at home, partly at the office) is an ideal vision for 46% of the respondents. 33% prefer pure remote work, and 16% prefer the in-person work approach.
While technological disruptions and geo-political and socio-economic shifts have been changing the very nature of work in recent decades, no one anticipated the amount of disruption that would occur in such a short timeframe. In 8 short months, the pandemic has accelerated these macro drivers of change and firms have been forced to adopt and adapt to a virtual world, including more virtual work. These changes bring with them many challenges, but also have created tremendous opportunities for firms preparing for the future of work and the new global economy. Now organizational leaders need to ensure that they are providing appropriate levels of technological and people-centered support to their employees and employees need to continue to adjust to the new work reality that will likely forevermore include some amount of remote work.
Author Bios
| Dominika Paciorkowska is Managing Director at ClickMeeting Visit https://clickmeeting.com/ Connect Dominika Paciorkowska |
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| Magdalena Ciszewska is Head of Marketing/Sales at ClickMeeting Connect Magdalena Ciszewska Follow @clickmeeting |
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| Jonathan H. Westover, PhD is Managing Partner and Principal at Human Capital Innovations, LLC. Connect Jonathan H. Westover |
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