The disadvantages of working from home

At the start of the COVID-19 lockdown, companies across South Africa were forced to adopt a working-from-home policy. As a result, many are considering the advantages of this new way of work. However, there's a good reason why companies have embraced (and should continue embracing) office-based environments. Letting staff work remotely can stand in the way of companies' efforts to maximise productivity and profit margins.

Lack of bigger-picture vision

There is real value in face-to-face engagements between managers and their teams. Without these, it can be difficult for an employee to measure the contribution they are making to the company's objectives. This can lead to a form of "tunnel vision", which may leave staff members feeling isolated and demotivated. Being in the office, on the other hand, provides a constant reminder that one is part of a team, working towards the achievement of a bigger-picture vision.

The creation of inequality amongst staff members

Members of a team working from an office all enjoy access to the same infrastructure and related benefits. For instance, everyone will have fast internet, ample space to do their work and freedom from distractions. 

Imagine "employee A" works in a spacious four-bedroom house. This is quite different from the struggles of "employee B", who lives and works in a one-bedroom flat with their partner. The productivity levels of the two employees are unlikely to be equal. Similarly, the productivity of certain employees could be far more limited than others based on the quality of their internet connection.

Particularly in a scenario in which an employee is working from home in a one-bedroom flat, the #WFH lifestyle can also lead to a dramatic decrease in work-life balance. As desks start to occupy relaxation space, it becomes increasingly difficult to switch off during evenings and over weekends.

Losing out on spontaneous ideas

While your staff members are working from home, scheduling meetings via Skype, Zoom or Google Hangouts is easy. What is lost, however, are those spontaneous meetings that happen around someone's desk or at the coffee machine. These meetings often lead to the development of the best ideas, and the absence of this small talk could reduce team cohesion and creativity. This could cause the company to miss out on concepts that would lead to bigger profits and greater market share in the future.

Higher level of discipline required

There can be no doubt that working from home requires higher levels of discipline than working from the office does. This is purely because home offers far more distractions - from children needing help with homework to the temptation of a new episode of someone's favourite series being available on Netflix. If staff members are working from home, it would be necessary to use performance-tracking software, which is not needed for an office-based team.

Returning to work in the COVID-19 era

Having your staff back in the office is undoubtedly a good idea. However, employers will need to be sensitive to employees' concerns in light of returning to work. Remember, COVID-19 is still very much a part of our lives. Employees should be made aware that management has an open-door policy to listen to any of their concerns. Any employee who has legitimate health concerns should be allowed to continue working from home indefinitely. Also, employers need to be sensitive to changes that may have taken place in staff members' routines, particularly regarding child-care arrangements.

These are unprecedented times. Businesses have had to endure extraordinary measures to survive the onslaught of COVID-19. Bringing staff back to the office creates a sense of normalcy for the team. While health and safety protocols must remain at the forefront of every company's operations, having staff at their desks will be beneficial to both the company and its employees.

For more information about the advantages of working from an office - or to find your company's new office in any corner of South Africa - contact us today.