Remote employees say they do not have the right tools and software to complete their tasks to their usual standard. 

A survey from software solutions provider Intact also found 51 percent say there is a technology knowledge gap within their company.

Worryingly, 42 percent said they had not been given any training on how to properly use communications tools within their company while 27 percent do not think their firm’s communications tools are fit for purpose.

However, most employees do feel they have the tools to do their job, but say that if the tools worked better, it would make their work easier, particularly in a remote setting.

IT leaders prefer it at home

Meanwhile, the remote access provider Splashtop found 34 percent of IT leaders feel less stressed at work because of home working. 

Two fifths (42%) of IT decision makers even say their job is more enjoyable because of flexible technologies in place that ease their stress.

The firm says due to remote access technologies, productivity has increased and IT leaders feel their colleagues trust them more since working from home.

IT workers in the survey predicted that flexible working would make their roles more complex because of varying work patterns and 82 percent said they were working longer hours as a result of this.

There are also concerns around creating a company culture with home-working as Intact found that 49 percent of employees talk to their colleagues less than once a day, and only 14 percent said they looked at communications platforms during the day.

This ties in with O.C. Tanner’s 2022 Global Culture Report, which found home workers are lonely and find it tough to maintain connections in a remote setting.

Robert Ordever, Managing Director of workplace culture at O.C. Tanner said: “Workers experiencing periods of loneliness is nothing new, however lockdowns and remote working have made matters worse, intensifying feelings of isolation.”

His advice to businesses is to create opportunities for staff to build relationships with colleagues: “Facilitating networking and social interactions must become a priority, with leaders building closer relationships with their employees. They must also encourage employees to collaborate and get together socially, both in-person and remotely.”