When it comes to remote work, employees say they can get their work done from home – but they don't necessarily say the same about their colleagues.
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A Cisco report on the impact of hybrid work found that employees consider themselves more reliable than their colleagues at being productive while working from home.
In a survey of 1,050 employees in the UK, 75% of respondents said their manager trusted them to be productive when working remotely, however a smaller proportion (61%) felt they could trust their colleagues to do the same.
Employees also felt that bosses were more likely to micromanage when working remotely or in hybrid arrangements, with 43% of respondents reporting that these micromanaging behaviors had increased.
The finding suggests that building and maintaining trust could be more difficult for organizations considering moving to hybrid working – despite the report highlighting many perceived benefits of doing so.
This includes drastically increased feelings of well-being, with 79% of respondents saying that the ability to work from anywhere has made them happier and 57% claiming that their productivity and quality of work have improved.
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However, Jen Scherler-Gormley, head of human resources at Cisco UK & Ireland said that different working styles and preferences present challenges for business leaders, who need to understand how to foster an inclusive environment regardless of where people work.
More than half of respondents said that employees who choose to work remotely full-time will face challenges when it comes to collaborating with their colleagues (58%) and the company (56%), compared to hybrid workers who alternate between remote and in-office work.
Otherwise, the Cisco report presented a positive picture of hybrid work, which has garnered positive feedback from employers and employees in recent years.
Nearly three-quarters of respondents (72%) said hybrid and remote work improved various aspects of emotional, financial, mental, physical and social well-being. Time away from the office has improved work - life for 78% of employees, Cisco, with more flexible work schedules (57%) and reducing or eliminating commutes (63%) cited as major contributors to these improvements.
Around half (45%) of employees surveyed said that hybrid working had helped reduce stress levels , 65% said it had improved family relationships and 64% of respondents said that remote working had helped them improve their fitness, either through more exercise or better eating habits.
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There is also an economic motivation behind hybrid working: 78% of respondents felt that their financial well-being had improved when working remotely, either through saving on fuel or commuting costs (89%) and spending less on food and entertainment (72%).
Information source: zdnet.com
