With many employers and employees acknowledging the feasibility of remote work, the possibility of it becoming the new work norm is promising. In fact, more than 42% of the U.S. Labor Force worked full time from home in 2021. The change to remote work has been significant with 42% of employees working remotely in 2020 and even reaching 69% during COVID’s peak.
Many people have expressed interest in continuing work from home even after COVID ends because it has helped enhance their work experience. 77% of employees have said they have adequate workspace while 68% believe they can do work without interruptions. Remote work also provides clear benefits for employee wellbeing, such as increased job satisfaction and reduced total workforce on the roads. Work-from-home employers also save thousands of dollars in overhead, which in turn allows their employees to save about $5,000 in personal finances yearly.
Trust is Everything
Although there are many benefits to working remote, several employers are having difficulty trusting their employees who are working from home. 48% of employees believe levels of trust have changed since the pandemic while 69% of managers have found it uncomfortable to communicate with their employees completely online. These doubts have therefore led to an increase in micromanagement, or excessive control of the workforce. Micromanagement while working from home has become a huge problem for both employees and employers with 69% of employees considering changing jobs due to how much they are being controlled by their employers while employers have seen a 39% higher employee turnover rate which in turn increases the amount of annual salary spent to replace employees.
However, employers can build trust with their work-from-home employees by decreasing micromanagement tactics and instead caring more about their wellbeing. Encouraging self-care, Over communicating tasks so everyone knows how to proceed with their work, considering outputs rather than hours, and investing in automation are just some ways that can improve the relationship between employers and their remote employees.
The future of work has already arrived. Is your company ready for the change?
Source: TrackTime24.com
