Working from home - Trend or fundamental change?

In recent studies, it has been determined that the sentiment regarding the advantages and disadvantages towards working from home is neutral, with the positive aspects having been more often the focus of discussions between employees.

By looking further into the above-mentioned matter, we can establish just some of the advantages of working from home:

1. Gender equality - the number of women joining or re-joining the market has increased;
2. Lower costs and prices - working from home can help reduce corporate expenses, such as office spaces or transportation;
3. Rising productivity - freer work environment can boost employee productivity, while online platforms offer numerous opportunities for a more effective employee monitoring.

On the other hand, some disadvantages exist in the form of:

1. More distraction - no longer working from a professional workspace goes hand in hand with an increase of distracting factors.
2. Blurred border - the line between private and personal life has drastically become blurred, as there is no geographical separation between the two - both happen from the same space.
3. Social isolation - lockdowns, preventive measures and online working have put an end to people from getting together and socializing - almost everything has now moved towards digitalization.

As measures need to be taken in order to increase labour productivity, companies have started to make some serious changes. Employees long for a 4-day workweek, a 6-hour workday, as well as the possibility to work remotely/hybrid, even after the COVID-19 pandemic has ended. By making such changes, some of the issues faced when working from home would be solved, while the over-all labour productivity would not be affected.

Although the topic of working from home is still rather new to both employers and employees, there is no denying that remote/hybrid work will most likely replace traditional work, at the office, so we should all be prepared for change.