Unprecendented shift to working remotely as a result of the pandemic
How employees are staying on top of things outside work and productivity tool usage.
By Bryan Robinson for Forbes
photo: Working from home is a mixed bag, according to recent studies. GETTY
Saturday, June 20th was World Productivity Day. What better time to weigh the pros and cons of productivity after the sudden and unprecendented shift to working remotely as a result of the pandemic. COVID-19 has impacted nearly every aspect of our daily lives, including overall productivity. We are seeing shifts in activity levels, changes in daily schedules, how employees are staying on top of things outside work and productivity tool usage. Many major tech companies have announced plans to allow their employees to continue working from home for much of 2020. Others are making the shift more longstanding. Twitter announced that employees would be allowed to work remotely “forever,” and Amazon CTO Werner Vogels described the transition to cloud-based work environments as “permanent” at the AWS summit in May.
Despite all the positive press about working remote, some studies suggest it’s not what it’s cracked up to be. Social isolation, employment uncertainty, WFH burnout and the virus itself have combined to shock the health and well-being of workers worldwide. With remote employment on the rise, studies report pros and cons in terms of productivity and mental health from one study to the next.
Negative Findings On Working Remote
In a global study conducted by SAP, Qualtrics, and Mind Share Partners, researchers surveyed more than 2,000 employees in March and April of this year in Australia, France, Germany, New Zealand, Singapore, the UK and the United States. They found that the pandemic is impacting mental health around the world. Over 40% of people said their mental health has declined since the COVID-19 outbreak. In that same time period, the number of people who describe the state of their mental health as a 3 or less on a 10-point scale has doubled. Workers report more anxiety and stress.
Another study conducted by Udemy of over 1,000 U.S. employees found that 89% are afraid of COVID-19 in the workplace and their fears have compromised their job performance. The survey found that the worry spikes correlated with increases of new COVID-19 cases.