Remote Working: The Problem of Reporting Productivity - Michaelcorsole1/Corosole GitHub Wiki

Albert Camus once said, “there is an online one really serious philosophical question, and that is suicide.” In terms of remote working, and please excuse the tenuous linkage, there is only one serious question for business, and that is productivity. The outbreak of coronavirus has meant that many businesses have been forced to take that leap of faith with remote working. Some knew that the remote project manager tools were there to facilitate the connections we need for remote working, but many others were either not aware or unwilling to test them. Now, they have no choice. The debate over productivity and working from home has been on-going for several years now. There are a lot of studies that point to productivity-increasing among remote workers. In fact, the majority do so. However, relatively speaking, they are still quite limited in scope. In a sense, it is not the number of studies on remote working productivity that matters, but the methodology. Consider, for example, how long a study on productivity should last – a few weeks? A couple of months? The vast majority of studies are in this range. But we could argue that the time is not always enough to give an accurate assessment. The first few weeks of working remotely can feel quite novel, and the level of productivity might not be the same after, say, one year. Self-reporting can cause issues Another methodology issue comes with self-reporting and the fact that participants know they are part of the experiment. It would be almost impossible to create a comprehensive single-blind study of remote working. And, if participants are self-reporting? Well, you can see how that can cause a bias in the study, even if it’s unintentional. Other metrics that can add difficulty to the equation include the fact that each job is different, and, as such, the measure of productivity is not always dependable. For instance, we can easily measure the productivity of a remote telesales worker in comparison to the office by recording the number of quantifiable results like calls, sales, etc. Yet, it is a lot more difficult to measure, for example, the productivity of an academic researcher. It’s worth remembering at this point that those factors mentioned above, and it’s by no means an exhaustive list, are problems with reporting productivity, not evidence that productivity decreases or increases among remote workers. Commuting time adds up So, let’s look at some of the measurable variables we do know about. The average commute time for an America in 2018 (the latest year with comprehensive figures) was around 27 minutes one way, meaning there is the equivalent of a working day lost every two weeks. Of course, it’s not the case that employees will suddenly want to make up that extra 54 minutes per day, but they have that time to use for other things.

Attrition, i.e., staff turnover, of decreases when remote working is offered to employees. The number can vary, for sure, but some comprehensive studies have pointed to a 50 decrease in turnover when remote working is offered. In any study of overall productivity levels of a business, the cost of training new employees should be factored in. Furthermore, there is the question of attendance. The data shows up time and time again that those working remotely are less likely to take sick days, up to 52% less likely according to some studies. Another area that we can be sure of is the fact that a majority of respondents in nearly every major study claimed that they were more productive when working remotely. As we have seen above, we cannot always measure these claims with the kind of precision every business would like. Nevertheless, it’s still a positive metric. Moreover, there is a linkage between believing you are a productive worker and being a ‘happy’ worker, and vice versa. Evidence will grow to support remote working This author believes, firmly, that remote working – where possible – is a boon for businesses. And yet, there are still a few barriers to offering definitive proof that will convince all employers that the implementation of, at least some, remote working can raise productivity. It’s likely that the sheer number of businesses using remote workers during the Covid-19 outbreak will provide employers with more evidence that the practice is beneficial, although it’s not quite clear how one can measure a pandemic as a variable in any reporting. Regardless, the body of evidence around remote working will continue to grow, and, as such, employers will be able to make more informed decisions.