WorkAnywhere surveyed 6,523 employees from 150 companies and 14 industries about their experience working from home. If the lack of social interaction can be burdensome for some, others quickly forget its limits in favor of the time and energy saved by this mode of professional exercise. Testimonials.
- The health crisis has forced many companies to offer telework to their employees
- This mode of professional exercise is acclaimed by more than 6 French out of 10
- But reservations concern the lack of social relations for employees and a drop in motivation recorded by companies.
The confinement, in force from March 17 to May 11, has changed the way of working for most French people. Indeed, in order to comply with the rules put in place to stop the spread of the Covid-19 virus, teleworking has been widely encouraged within companies. A practice far from being part of the mores of France and that only a few companies had established before confinement. “My company does not really like teleworking: before, it tolerated it exceptionally”confides Mélissa, a 27-year-old computer buyer.
“In my company, there was already a teleworking agreement with the employees: we had the possibility of working 5 days a month.says Guillaume, 27, works contract engineer. I did it once a week, or even every two weeks, when I had a package to receive, for example. Thanks to this device, my company was already more or less prepared to adapt so that everyone went to telework in recent months”.
“I save 1h30 of public transport round trip during the day”
Whatever the professions exercised, as soon as telework was possible, it became the rule for the majority of employees from mid-March. A new trend that WorkAnywhere assessed by interviewing 6,523 employees from 150 companies and 14 business sectors, in a survey conducted from April 7 to 28 which has just been published. Result: 66.5% of respondents say they are satisfied with remote work.
Guillaume recognizes himself in these statistics. “I really appreciate it: I have no problem working at home. I live in good conditions, so it’s not bad. Then, getting up later to work at the same time, even earlier, is appreciable. In the end, I save 1h30 of public transport round trip during the day”describes the engineer.
“I work on average 1h30 more per day, without being paid more”
Melissa is more mixed. “Teleworking has its advantages and disadvantages: I’m less tired because I don’t have to travel, but I work on average 1h30 more per day, without being paid moreshe reports. I wake up, then I make my coffee directly and take it in front of my computer, whereas if I was at work, I would start later”.
Another downside: professional interactions. “We have everything we need to work from home. It’s going very well with our tools and Skype, but there are subjects that it’s always easier to talk about face to face with colleagues”continues the young woman.
74% of respondents believe that their company would gain by promoting telework
Among the positive points noted by WorkAnywhere, 75% of respondents say that their manager trusts them to organize their remote work. For 68% of employees, their company has succeeded in maintaining cohesion within the teams. Similarly, 6 out of 10 consider their technical installations to be efficient and 74% think that their company would gain by promoting telework. “I think they have realized that it is not because their employees work from home that they do not work, on the contrary”believes Melissa.
“My productivity is not at all disrupted: I work as much as before, and I’m even more efficientassures Guillaume. There are fewer distractions than at work. People bother me a lot less: people call me if they really need me. When I’m in business, people can come and see me to ask me things that aren’t necessarily important or to discuss various subjects. All in all, it’s a waste of time”.
The impact of confinement on the motivation and experience of telework
In its survey, WorkAnywhere notes, however, that more than 4 in 10 respondents express doubts, while 17% of survey respondents no longer want “at all” of teleworking. The most frequently used words to justify this answer are: “impossible”, “restrictive”, “isolation” and “complicated”. “Not everyone can work from home in good conditions”notes Mélissa, referring to the case of young parents. “In my company, some people can’t stand itsays Guillaume. They can’t work from home for reasons x or y; It’s really unique to each person”.
If the motivation of employees has been on the rise for 5 years, it has fallen by more than 4 points since the beginning of April: figures to be placed in the context of the current health crisis. “Motivation and the quality of the telework experience are quite strongly linked”, indicates WorkAnywhere. However, the extension of confinement has weighed heavily on everyone’s motivation.
Towards an alternation between telework and company days?
William nods. “It’s specific to confinement: the negative side of teleworking is not seeing your colleagues. However, at the moment, that’s a lot of other people who you no longer see; in terms of social relations, that can weigh”. Same story with Mélissa. “I miss the working atmosphere, as well as my colleagues”she says.
If the buyer would like to alternate teleworking and days in the company, the engineer is in no hurry to return to the site. “In my company, the recovery will take place in waves: the first took place on May 25. I am scheduled with the second, in Junereports William. I’m not particularly looking forward, especially in the context where I could catch Covid-19 in transport”.
.
