Research confirms that like all social animals deprived of the company of others we suffer depression and anxiety. Social isolation increases the likelihood of stress. We feel less connected to colleagues if we are deprived of the opportunities for gossip, flirting, jokes, lunches and after work drinks. With out this social aspect work the day becomes just a dull todo list.
Remote workers are more likely to report feeling lonely, feeling guilty when phoning in sick or taking breaks and as a result overcompensating by working longer hours. A resent report found 80% of UK home workers feel it harms their mental health. Clearly working from home is bad for you. Yet we still prefer it to being office based.
There are lots of things people like which are bad for them ,home working turns out to be one of them. We like the idea of no commute, just roll out of bed, more control over how and when you work, no boss breathing down your neck. Just like other things we like but are bad for us we want to work from home even whilst we are admitting to researcher that it’s having an adverse effect on our emotional and mental well-being.
So should employers be discouraging people from working from home unless the benefits like being able to do the school run or care for an elderly relative outweigh the negatives. But wasn’t it employers who wanted more people to work from home to cut overheads, increase efficiency and reduce accommodation costs!
Home working does suit some employees life style and family circumstances providing a flexibility that allows them to balance competing demands. For the majority the continued desire to work from home seems harmful, a situation employers can ignore.
The solution would appear to be a hybrid arrangement part of the week in the office the rest working from home. Whether that is one day a week in the office or one day a month for the team meeting and team lunch. The balance will depend on the needs of the organisation against the preference of the individual. It may differ from team to team or between individuals within the same team. But it will be better for the individual and the organisation if colleagues meet-up in person at regular intervals.
