Pros & Cons of Working from Home – Insights from our WFH Survey

04/22/20

Almost 100% of our survey respondents said they are now working from home. Here are some of our key findings.

• • 35% of respondents said they are having a hard time prioritizing.
  • 81% said they do not find difficulty in organizing or attending online meetings.
  • 65% said they are working more hours now working from home!
  • 68% said their leaders encourage work/life balance in this new reality.

What’s working better?

• • More Flexible Hours
  • Less Commute
  • Less Interruptions
  • Casual clothing, better coffee
  • Less micromanaging
  • Meetings – not as much talking from the “peanut gallery”; involved parties get to the point and less chaotic

What’s NOT working better?

• • Kids requiring attention
  • Internet/ VPN Speed/ Connectivity Issues
  • Unable to SEE issues / environment
  • Not taking breaks, working more hours
  • Miss interacting with colleagues
  • Video Calls and having to shave
  • Ergonomics and staying active

Working from home is a requirement for many during this pandemic. Clearly there are pros and cons. The Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center recently shared Best Practices for Staying Successful at Your Home Office and shared links to 16 free online courses now being offered by LinkedIn summarized below.

• • Time Management: Working from Home – Time management can be a challenge. In this course, bestselling author and productivity expert Dave Crenshaw offers best practices for anyone who works full-time or occasionally from home.
  • Productivity Tips: Finding Your Productive Mindset – If you want to boost your productivity in a lasting way, you need to change the way you look at your time and your tasks. In this installment of the Productivity Tips series, productive leadership author and speaker Dave Crenshaw explains how to boost your productivity by shifting your perspective.
  • Thriving at Work: Leveraging the Connection Between Well-Being and Productivity – Live a life filled with less stress, greater well-being, and enhanced productivity by learning how to make transformational changes. In this course, Arianna Huffington and Joey Hubbard—the director of trainings at Thrive Global—discuss how well-being can contribute to your productivity and success at work.
  • Managing Stress for Positive Change – Use stress to fuel positive change. In this course, join instructor Heidi Hanna, PhD as she discusses what stress is; how you can train yourself to use stress in more effective ways; and what managers can do to reduce employee stress when an organization experiences difficult times.
  • Leading at a Distance – For the managers and leaders spearheading these remote teams, as well as teams that consist of remote and in-person employees, making the jump from in-person to virtual leadership can be challenging. In this course, instructor Kevin Eikenberry lays out how to lead effectively from a distance.
  • Leading Virtual Meetings – Leading virtual meetings is a critical competency for leaders who manage a remote or blended team. Join leadership and management expert Kevin Eikenberry as he identifies the challenges to holding a productive meeting online, and shares tactics for making these meetings successful.