Is Working From Home Always The Best Idea?

Working from home (WFH) has been celebrated during the pandemic as a better way for many professionals to work. A common belief in corporate America is WFH employees are more productive. Studies usually support this conclusion, but most of the increase in productivity comes from the time saved by not commuting. We have more time to work, so we work more.

Social Isolation Can Affect Our Mental Health

A troubling aspect of working from home is being alone, and humans don’t do well when alone and isolated. In a study by Columbia University cited in Forbes, anxiety, and depression increased for WFH employees because of a lack of personal social interaction with colleagues. [1]  

Another Issue: 50% Of Human Communication Is Non-Verbal

 “…work that is more complex or requires speed, problem-solving, or collaboration may not be as effective when you’re not face-to-face with colleagues.” [2] When a person is communicating, they use both voice and body language, the latter more accurately reflecting what they mean. [3]

We are extraordinarily gifted in reading the body language of others, although we’re often unaware of this ability. It’s why we don’t run into other people on a crowded sidewalk. Everyone’s body language “radar” is reading the subtle clues people give off on adjustments they are making to avoid colliding with one another on the sidewalk.

WFH Is A Disadvantage For Younger Professionals and New Hires

When you’re in the office, you get to know the people around you, including other managers. You take their measure, and they take yours. Are you easy to work with? Professional in your interactions? You also greatly benefit from impromptu training opportunities, such as sitting in on a client meeting and getting advice from your more experienced colleagues.

Promotion Risk

More studies have been done on this topic than any other in the pandemic. The executive summary of those studies is an old adage: out of sight, out of mind. Everyone knows you when you’re in the office working and interacting with managers and teams. When promotions are being discussed, your name easily comes up. You can be forgotten if you aren’t known outside a small circle.

 Why A Hybrid Schedule Will Become The New “Best Practice”

Corporate America learned during the pandemic that many employees place great value on working from home. Most will react poorly if they cannot do this anymore, but a growing issue is the loss of connection with colleagues.

Hybrid scheduling strikes a balance between WFH and staying connected with the office. The evolving “best practice” is you can work two/three days from home or come into the office, whichever you prefer. But to keep everyone connected, many firms have designated two/three days during the week when everyone must go into the office.

We need the advice, clarification, and positive reinforcement, from people we work with and this often occurs ad hoc. Remember, productivity is how much work we do, and performance is the quality of our work. A hybrid schedule would allow us to maximize both of these measures.

 

Resources:

[1]  https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/psychological-medicine/article/

[2] forbes.com/sites/tracybrower/2021/04/11/why-too-much-work-from-home-could-be-bad-for-your-career

[3] https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/beyond-words/201109/is-nonverbal-communication-numbers-game

 

Contributing Writer: Subject Matter Expert Charles McCain

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