Does Remote Work Offer Flexibility or Too Much Liberty?

The Benefits of Flexibility

There’s no denying that working from home brings flexibility to employees’ lives. With remote work, going to a medical appointment, picking up a parcel, or doing necessary housework between video calls has never been so easy to fit into the working day.

The trade-off is, of course, to start a little earlier or finish a little later to make up for lost hours. It’s about rethinking the way you work to better reconcile your personal and professional obligations.

Autonomy Has Its Drawbacks

According to the “Future of Flexible Work” report by CV Genius, some employees are prone to abusing the system.

For example, 22% of UK workers surveyed admit to taking advantage of remote work to secretly take time off without informing their employer, a practice known as “quiet vacationing.” They set up their work email to give the illusion of a remote presence, all while enjoying a cocktail by the sea, metaphorically (or literally) speaking. The sneakiest go so far as to schedule late-night messages to feign overtime.

Blurring the Lines

Others take a more subtle approach: almost 59% of employees lighten their workload at the start of the week, concentrating only on essential tasks on Mondays, or limiting themselves to the bare minimum. It’s a way of easing back into work, made much easier by working from home.

And even if a colleague seems reactive on WhatsApp and responds promptly, there’s no guarantee that they’re fully committed to their work. Nearly a quarter of workers (23%) admit to taking advantage of their WFH days to work several jobs at the same time, without informing their employer.

The Trust Issue

So, should working from home be restricted to improve productivity, as more and more companies are doing? Not necessarily. Being present at the office is no guarantee of real commitment to work.

Indeed, 27% of UK employees admit to “coffee badging”: they make a brief appearance at the office, just long enough to be seen, before heading off to work elsewhere… or to other pursuits.

Nurturing Trust

Unsurprisingly, this new flexibility granted to workers is fuelling a growing climate of mistrust, and not just between employers and staff: while 63% of workers say they are convinced of their own productivity when working from home, only 56% have the same confidence in their colleagues.

This mistrust reveals new work dynamics, where perceived productivity sometimes counts as much as actual performance.

The Bottom Line

One question remains: is the perception of working from home as being “less productive” than in-office work based on hard facts? Most studies on the subject point to a positive link between WFH and productivity, although this varies from context to context.

Furthermore, an employee who works from home less will not necessarily be more productive in the office. Systematically opposing in-office and remote work could, therefore, be reductive.

For remote work to go smoothly, it’s essential to establish a genuine relationship of trust between all the actors in a company. Employers’ and employees’ mistrust of WFH has more to do with corporate culture than with actual productivity.

Conclusion

To remedy this, employers need to clarify everyone’s expectations and organize regular meetings to maintain constant dialogue. The use of transparent project-management tools can also help allay concerns, by guaranteeing accurate tracking of tasks completed.

If companies want to adapt to align with tomorrow’s workplaces, they will have to come to terms with this necessary evolution of the professional world. Flexibility in the workplace is not just a question of at-home versus in-office, but of striking a balance between trust, autonomy, and performance.

FAQs

* What is the main drawback of remote work?
+ Autonomy can be misused, leading to decreased productivity and trust issues.
* How many employees take advantage of remote work to secretly take time off?
+ 22% of UK workers surveyed admit to doing so.
* What percentage of employees take advantage of WFH days to work on multiple jobs simultaneously?
+ 23%
* What is the most common way employees take advantage of remote work?
+ By scheduling late-night messages to feign overtime or working on multiple jobs at the same time.