Half of UK workers feel under pressure to prove they are actually working while working from home, it has emerged. Research into remote working from LogMeIn, announced today, suggests almost half (46 per cent) of the workforce feel the need to combat a perception that working from home is less productive than being in the office.
While 36 per cent of workers admitted to suffering from pressure to appear “more responsive” on email while working remotely, 23 per cent also felt a pressure to work more hours; encroaching more on family time than if they had gone to the office.
Your mental health is a good reason to work from home
- 30 per cent of respondents said they feel happier while working from home
- Other benefits include more flexibility in breaks (65 percent), easier to focus on tasks (35 per cent), eliminating the deadly commute (52 percent), looking after family (28%) saving money (38 per cent) and keeping an eye on the cat (20 per cent)
Dressed for the job?
- 26 per cent of UK workers admitted to staying in their pyjamas all day
Time wasting: Office v Home
- 29 per cent of workers admitted to wasting time in the office talking to co-workers and browsing the internet
- 38 per cent cited pets, neighbours, family and the television as the main distractions while working from home
Steve Duignan, VP International Marketing at LogMeIn said:
“We’ve uncovered that while over a third of workers find it easier to focus while working from home and report numerous benefits, they feel that there’s a perception from the outset that they are slacking off – meaning they end up sending more emails to bosses than they would do while in the office just to prove they’re working.”
“This points to a clear problem within the culture of UK businesses and ultimately reduces productivity. My advice to businesses would be: trust your employees to do the job and don’t miss the opportunity to improve their wellbeing!”
