Bosses think workers do less from home, are they right?
We are certainly living through uncertain times.
The Bank of England is forecasting a recession and the new Conservative Government is reaching for growth. Our energy markets are in turmoil because of the conflict in Ukraine. And we are now seeing a transition from the reign of Elizabeth II to Charles III in the UK.
Amongst all this news, one headline grabbed my attention last week “Your boss thinks you just don’t work as hard at home”. This was the result of a major new survey from Microsoft which shows that bosses and workers fundamentally disagree about productivity when working from home.
Bosses worry about whether working from home is as productive as being in the office. While 87% of workers felt they worked as, or more, efficiently from home, 80% of managers disagreed.
The survey questioned more than 20,000 staff across 11 countries.
Companies are clearly grappling with one of, if not, the biggest workplace changes in history. It is not surprising we find it difficult to predict where this will land.
At LCMB we believe that motivated workers, engaged in purposeful work, will be as productive at home, as they can be in the office. To support this outcome, we should actively design both environments for different types of work. Home working to support and optimise lone working and the office environment to support collaborative, and group work, that cannot be delivered in isolation, or virtually.
This is the model we have chosen at LCMB, we believe in an agile working model, working from home and an office environment which offers better space for collaboration in a healthy environment optimised for our team’s wellbeing and performance. We think this will become the dominant working model going forward. I would love to hear your thoughts [email protected]
In closing this month, I also need to share some very sad news. Charlie Watts, our apprentice consultant, was sadly killed in a car accident in August.
Since starting at LCMB last September, Charlie made a big impression with colleagues and clients and had a natural ability to get on with everybody. It was a privilege to have him as part of the LCMB team on his first steps of what would undoubtedly have been a successful career. Charlie was an absolute joy to work with and our office is a little darker without him. Our deepest condolences go out to his family, friends and everyone who worked with him. We all miss Charlie.
John O’Brien
Founder and MD
[email protected]
