New Survey Highlights Benefits and Challenges of Remote Work

Hogan Assessments, a global leader in personality assessment and leadership development, is releasing the results from a survey of workers across the United States and Europe that identified how the COVID-19 pandemic and remote working arrangements affected productivity, engagement, relationships, communication and collaboration.

Among the 880 respondents to the Future of Work survey, most employees feel equally, if not more, productive when working remotely. Although it is still too early to objectively determine whether employee perceptions of productivity match overall productivity at the organizational level, employees also reported that their teams are productive while working remotely.

Although the survey revealed that people find remote collaboration to be more challenging, the increased individual productivity ultimately contributes to better overall team results. However, employees are having to adapt.

“Prior to the pandemic, remote work was a privilege available to just a small portion of the overall workforce,” said Hogan Assessments CEO Scott Gregory, Ph.D. “As a result, making the shift to this new way of working has been uncharted territory for the majority of employers and employees alike. With such a dramatic shift come both benefits and challenges.”

Flexible schedules, the ability to work from anywhere, and improved work-life balance are among the benefits of remote work people appreciate the most. However, they find it challenging to maintain the same ease of communication and collaboration as before.

“Although the transition to remote work has been positively received by a large portion of the survey respondents, they also reported that remote collaboration has proven to be more difficult than when they were in a face-to-face setting,” said Gregory. “To mitigate this, managers should develop a proactive communication plan with the tools necessary to foster collaboration in this new working environment and encourage intentional, effective and efficient communication at all levels of the organization.”

From an engagement standpoint, individuals who felt supported by their managers also reported greater levels of engagement within their organizations. This suggests that employers should regularly communicate with their employees to ensure they have everything necessary for their projects and strive to align their duties with their overall career motivations.

Interestingly, 54% of respondents reported that the shift to remote work has not made it more difficult to maintain professional relationships with key stakeholders, while 46% report the opposite. This could largely be attributed to differences in personalities, which is something managers should consider when trying to understand the needs of their employees.

“While companies can and should focus on proactive communication plans, collaboration opportunities, and support from managers, they shouldn’t miss the importance of understanding the individual personality differences that influence success in remote work,” said Gregory. “Creating self-awareness and providing tools and resources for development for those who struggle will help your organization survive the changes in this working landscape.”

Most respondents also reported that their organizations did not encourage them to work remotely before the pandemic. However, having worked remotely for an extended amount of time, 87% of employees want the option to work remotely at least part-time for the rest of their careers, with only 13% wanting to be in the office every day and 14% wanting fully remote schedules. These numbers suggest that employers should prepare for significant turnover if they require employees to return to the office on a full-time basis.

“The world of work as we previously knew it is a thing of the past,” said Gregory. “With remote work becoming more and more prevalent, it doesn’t appear to be going anywhere in the foreseeable future. What was once seen as a perk is now viewed by the majority of the workforce as a necessity. Organizations need to be mindful of this to remain competitive when it comes to attracting and retaining top talent.”

Click here to download the Future of Work survey results.

About Hogan Assessments

The international leader in personality insights, Hogan Assessments produces valid, reliable personality assessments grounded in decades’ worth of research. More than 75% of the Fortune 500 use Hogan’s talent acquisition and development solutions to hire the right people without bias, boost productivity, reduce turnover, and promote diversity and inclusion.

For more information, visit www.hoganassessments.com.

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