'Let's recreate the norm,' a workplace expert advises
Nine in 10 workers in New Zealand are hoping to continue working from home, even on a part-time basis, as offices reopen after the COVID-19 lockdown.
Before the pandemic, 38% had yet to experience remote working in any way. But when the government moved to shut down the economy and contain the outbreak, the majority of workers who had to operate remotely found it easy or somewhat easy to transition to telecommuting (66%), a recent study from the University of Otago showed.
In the end, the ‘new normal’ proved beneficial to Kiwis. Seven in 10 respondents believe they were equally, if not more, productive when they were working from home. A similar number (65%) are now “feeling optimistic” about being given the option to continue working remotely post-lockdown.
But the new arrangement also comes with its own set of challenges, the survey results suggest.
Team communication and collaboration, for example, became more difficult to manage in a remote environment. This forced companies to rely increasingly on video conferencing apps like Zoom as a way to get projects going. But the communication method eventually caused ‘Zoom fatigue’ in some workers, the study found.
Others had difficulty switching off after work, while those with parental/caregiver duties said it was all the more challenging to maintain work/life balance.
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“Both employers and the government have a role to play in educating employees working from home in the future about their well-being and how to place separation between work and home,” said Dr Paula O’Kane of the Otago Business School at the university.
“Exhaustion was specifically mentioned by many participants,” Dr. O’Kane said. Apart from experiencing Zoom fatigue and having to juggle work and home life, remote workers also faced greater anxiety over the looming health crisis as well as their increased workload expectations.
New Zealand’s existing Health and Safety at Work Act, however, fails to provide details on how to work from home safely. As a result, most employers are still just beginning to understand the needs of their remote employees.
The researchers are urging employers to build a comprehensive flexible work plan that benefits both the organisation and the workforce.
“Let’s make sure that worker commitment to their organisation and to their work during the lockdown is rewarded by listening to how employees can work effectively in the future,” Dr. O’Kane said. “Let’s recreate the norm.”