Is a lack of trust preventing staff from working remotely?

Research commissioned by Microsoft has found that 70% of office workers feel they can get ‘more done’ working away from the office.

The study indicates that when working away from the office, employees tend to overcompensate in order to suppress colleagues’ negative perceptions, with 47% claiming that they make a conscious attempt to be extra visible by sending more emails and making more phone calls.

Furthermore, 30% say that they feel guilty about not being in the office, while 39% said that they work longer hours to prove they are not ‘shirking from home’.

Despite the fact that employees are seemingly increasing their productivity, the research suggests that flexible working is being held back by issues of trust within organisations.

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According to the study, 73% of the UK workforce believe there is a lack of trust within their company that those working flexibly will work ‘as hard’ as office-based staff.

However, the research suggests that businesses can benefit from allowing employees to work remotely with 38% feeling that they can be more creative when they are able to work flexibly.

Dave Coplin, Chief Envisaging Officer at Microsoft said:

“People don’t need to be shackled to their desks to be productive or to collaborate with their colleagues. Work should be a thing you do, not a place you go.”

“Flexible working is more about choosing a location that best suits your requirements to get the job done. This can mean working from a variety of locations during the day, be that on the move, a shared knowledge hub, a coffee shop, a remote office or at home if need be.”