Is Productivity Affected in a Work-from-Home Environment?

WFH Challenges

As we move towards the remote work-from-home environment, regardless of the industry, teams are facing new and difficult challenges. Managers are doubting the productivity of their front-line and struggling to trust that they are maintaining the same level of performance compared to being in the office. The leadership team is questioning the effectiveness of their managers and their ability to focus on improvement opportunities that will add the most value.

So, the question arises: Is productivity affected in a work-from-home environment?

Some would argue that productivity is down and that their employees are less engaged during the workday. According to a Harvard Business Review study, mid-level managers (referred to as “Knowledge Workers”) now have an opportunity to spend more time and focus on the tasks that matter. Working from home frees up their time for more continuous improvement engagement and training for their team (https://hbr.org/2020/08/research-knowledge-workers-are-more-productive-from-home).

What’s missing?

Even though managers have more time when working from home, some of them don’t know how to adjust to the remote setting. Others don’t have the tools to do it. Still others who have adjusted well and are well equipped with the tools, are having new process challenges with a divided team both at home and in the office. They are struggling to effectively engage the team, measure the impact of changes, balance work, and coach their teams.

Work From Home Solutions

Many organizations are addressing the challenges by forcing their teams to return to the office. These decisions could be jeopardizing whether or not they keep their best people or lose them to the ‘Great Resignation’. Talented employees are quitting their jobs at record rates to seek out opportunities that will allow them the autonomy to work from home.

What can we do to embrace the shift to work from home?

While difficult, this task is very achievable if we get out in front of it and employ the right tools and approach. One thing is for certain, we have more tools at our disposal than ever before. Long gone are the days of emailing your co-workers. We do miss out on walking over to our colleague’s desk, or into our boss’s office to ask them a quick question or have a spontaneous meeting, but now we have communication apps that streamline team communication. These apps make it easier than ever to shoot a quick message to your boss or your colleague for a quick and painless response without abrupt interruption. Project management and CRM tools allow your team to have visibility on all phases of their work and are even more important than before. Opportunities to standardize how things are done, while providing transparency allows for a greater level of self-management.

At LeanGo, our team of experts will help your team take advantage of these tools so your organization can maximize time spent on value-add work. If you already have the tools, then we can help you leverage them better. If not, then we can help you get them in place. We take a continuous improvement approach that emphasizes a successful transition into the work from home environment. We help identify the tools that are needed to make the transition seamless and integrate into your organization to get them in place.

We would love to hear from you to learn about your business challenges! Together, we will determine the fit for your business and discuss possibilities.