The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a query that may have been unthinkable a couple of years in the past: do we actually have to be within the workplace on a regular basis?
On the peak of the pandemic, working remotely was considered as a safeguard, defending workers from the unfold of infections. Over time a consensus has developed that working remotely has had advantages however has additionally raised well being considerations.
To supply some solutions to the query, I did analysis on the expertise of working remotely from the angle of 23 feminine center managers working within the South African public service.
It was clear that distant work had optimistic and unfavorable facets.
On the optimistic aspect, working remotely supplied flexibility. Staff may steadiness particular person and work duties. This gave them some freedom and autonomy. In essence, work-life steadiness was considerably promoted.
One participant, a human useful resource supervisor, mentioned:
Through the peak of the pandemic, I may spend extra time connecting with different aspects of my life outdoors work. I may learn extra at dwelling. Do some gardening. Even join extra with the world round me. Sure I obtained to do some work however I additionally managed to do issues I couldn’t do beforehand.
On the unfavorable aspect, the ladies mentioned they skilled a blurring of labor boundaries and an extension of their workplace hours.
Primarily based on the findings, I make three suggestions for managing the draw back of working remotely. First, organisations may have to offer worker assist; an essential a part of that is to belief their workers. Second, coverage round distant working might have to be in place and bolstered. Such coverage must strike a steadiness between getting the work carried out and respecting the person rights of workers. Lastly, a tradition of open communication will be helpful on each side to realize this. This contains setting objectives and addressing misconceptions round working remotely.
The upside
The feminine managers within the examine extolled the work-life steadiness that distant work can provide.
The managers praised distant working as slicing again pointless time spent in site visitors whereas commuting to work. They might spend extra time with household and take note of private wellness actions comparable to going to the gymnasium.
Distant working additionally had the potential to boost the standard of relationships, due to the bodily presence at dwelling.
One other participant, an accounting supervisor, mentioned:
I feel distant working additionally saved my marriage. My companion and I are appreciative of being in professions the place we will work remotely. This assisted each of us to work in the identical room at dwelling. Such time was simply the bond we would have liked. Bear in mind in every week we often spent half of the week on the workplace earlier than the pandemic. It was fantastic to work at home not only for the work side but in addition our relationship.
However the analysis additionally revealed that distant working posed some challenges.
The draw back
Three predominant issues emerged. First, regardless of viewing distant working as a chance, organisational will didn’t exist to see it by. There gave the impression to be combined emotions in organisations, to assist or to not assist distant working.
Second, for some managers, managing individuals remotely was not a possible possibility. This was largely as a result of notion that for one to be an efficient supervisor some type of bodily presence was wanted. The bodily presence issue for these managers served as a type of surveillance, a capability to observe that work was really being carried out. Such a administration strategy created ranges of suspicion and rendered distant working ineffective.
Thirdly, the managers in my examine expressed concern across the extension of the working hours. Distant working distorted the boundaries of labor and compelled workers to be obtainable at any time. This included receiving work-related calls at odd hours. Some workers felt that going to the workplace protected them from being bothered after work hours.
A participant noticed:
The organisational construction throughout the South Africa public service remains to be that certainly one of command and management. This works properly inside bodily areas. With working from dwelling that command and management manifests within the extreme calls. Somebody can name you late at night time. That was salient nightmare for distant working for me.
What needs to be carried out
The findings of this analysis present there’s a want for nuanced organisational responses to distant working.
First, organisations ought to search to assist workers the place distant working is in place. They might want insurance policies to information such modes of working.
Second, workers have a duty to talk out. Whereas there’s a have to be productive in organisations, this could not come by violation of particular person rights. There will be no flexibility to the expression of particular person rights.
Third, the findings present the necessity for funding in coaching and assist companies round distant working. This may occasionally embrace psycho-social assist for workers who could also be scuffling with coping with facets associated to distant working. Additional, organisations must spend money on {hardware} and software program assist that enhances the distant working expertise.
