The perceived cons for remote work are increased employee isolation, professional marginalization, lower productivity from goofing off or doing home and family-related tasks during work hours, fewer opportunities for spontaneous collaboration -- all of which adds up to lower productivity for the company.
So which is it? Does allowing employees to work from home increase or decrease productivity?
This is a mission-critical question because remote work is definitely on the rise.
A recent Gallup survey found that in the four years from 2012 to 2016, the percentage of U.S. employees who worked remotely rose from 39% to 43%.
Dell found recently in an employee survey that 58% of its employees work remotely at least one day a week. Which surprised the company because only 17% were authorized to do so.
Other reports predict the percentages of employees working remotely full time by 2020. Citrix Systems, for example, forecasts that half the American workforce will be remote within three years.
The trend is clear. With each passing year, a greater percentage work takes place outside the office.
The truth about remote work
It's important to think clearly about this trend. It helps to divide employees not into two categories — office and remote — but three:
- Full-time office worker
- Part-time remote worker
- Full-time remote worker