Radio Bath Interview: Remote Working & The Future
Tiggy Robinson spoke to Bob Crampton at Radio Bath to discuss home working and the Future of Work. You can listen to the full interview here or read the Q&A below.
Home working – for many of us its been thrust upon us. The take up of home working – do you think we’ll continue with it?
- Yes it wasn’t a change that we chose, but for many of us who have experience home working, there are benefits and recent polls suggest 25% are keen to keep the option of remote working in the future, perhaps mixed working though rather than exclusively working from home.
What are the pros and cons for it?
- On the plus side, reduction in commuting time and expense.
- The positive environmental impact.
- Employees can consider working for a company anywhere if they don’t have to be in the office every day.
- On the negative side, loneliness and lack of connection is something we have really seen teams talk about.
- There has been a negative effect on mental health.
- Working from home means there is not a level playing field for everyone as we all have different working environments at home.
How much have Zoom meetings helped during this time?
- Yes Zoom, Teams and other platforms have allowed us to collaborate and continue to work together with colleagues.
- But the increase in screen time does lead to fatigue and sitting still, which isn’t great for our overall health.
What is the percentage of people working from home now – and the prediction for the future post covid?
- There are various statistics, at the height of COVID-19 pandemic, estimates from ONS and others of up to 60% of workforce working remotely for part of the week.
- The prediction for post pandemic is up to 25% of people surveyed would like to carry on working remotely for at least some of the week.
Of course some people miss the atmosphere of an office environment…they want human contact?
- Yes, connection is key and mixed ways of working are what many organisations are thinking of when the look to the future. So people come to an office for specific things – and work remotely when it makes sense to.
For successful home working, doesn’t it depend on up to date hardware?
- Partly yes, you need decent equipment and broadband, but also it is the space you have to work in. Not everyone has the luxury of an office or a space where they can work without interruptions – particularly an issue for young people who house share and employers need to think about this.
Have you any tips for home workers – what they should be doing day to day?
- We try and make sure every day incorporates a virtual commute, with regular breaks, getting outside when they can, not sitting still all day and getting some movement in.
For more information about how you can set your organisation up for the future, contact TiggyR@NineFeetTall.com
