Harnessing the Benefits of Remote Work

We have all seen the migration towards remote work. A trend accelerated by the pandemic has now fundamentally transformed the traditional workplace.  

 As a 100% remote worker who collaborates with many other remote workers, the impacts of this really interest me. Gone are the days of water cooler and corridor chats; in are the days of “can I call you”, “do you have 2 mins”, and better approaches to information sharing. 

 For me, the personal and professional benefits are impossible to ignore.   

• Reducing the noise: One of the primary drivers of increased productivity while working from home is the reduction of workplace distractions. Traditional office environments are bustling with noise—interruptions from colleagues and unplanned meetings in kitchens, corridors and cubicles. Home can be quieter and more controlled, allowing me to concentrate better on the tasks at hand.  
• Finding work-life balance: I am at a stage of life where I need flexibility. I have three children under the age of 6. Remote work offers me the flexibility to create personalized work schedules to allow me spend quality time with the kids and get some exercise in to clear my head. I often choose to work during the hours that are most productive for me—early in the morning and late at night. This flexibility not only enhances my productivity but also improves my work-life balance. I get to have breakfast and dinner with the family, and I’m present for those all-important bedtime stories.  

 These are among the benefits that contribute to one study’s finding that 98% of remote workers would like to continue working remotely at least some of the time for the rest of their careers. This appreciation of work-life balance is coming into day-to-day life as a significant benefit.  

• Losing the commute: The worst part of office work for me, was my daily commute. In the best case, it was 60 minutes door to door. This is a huge time drain for many, often leading to stress and fatigue before the workday even begins. By eliminating the need to commute, remote work frees up valuable time that is redirected towards family, personal and work time. I have traded a 120-minute daily commute for a 20-second walk out the back door and into my office.   

Reduced commutes also offer major societal benefits, including reductions in traffic, energy dependence and pollution. A Cornell study with Microsoft found the environmental footprint of remote workers can be 54% lower than it is for on-site workers.  

• Making work from home work for me: Working from home allows employees to set up their workspaces in ways that best suit their preferences and needs. Admittedly, it took me a few months to actually do it properly. When Covid hit, I had an office in a bedroom (very Covid 19 chic), with a chair that was not suited to the purpose and only my laptop. I now have a standing desk, an ergonomic chair, and a dedicated office, which has significantly enhanced my comfort and productivity. Importantly, I get to put the pictures up that my husband doesn’t want in other parts of the house! This ability to personalize my workspace has led to increased job satisfaction and efficiency.  

 Advancements in technology have made remote work more viable and productive than ever before. Phrases like, “You’re on mute”, “Can you hear me”, “I can hear you, but can’t see you” aren’t nearly as common as they once were. Tools for video conferencing, project management, and real-time collaboration have bridged the gap between remote and in-office work, ensuring seamless communication and teamwork. Atlas , like many companies, has leveraged these technologies effectively and this has maintained high levels of productivity and engagement among our remote workforces.  

 Remote work often requires a higher degree of self-motivation and time management. I thrive in autonomous environments and tend to be more productive as I can organize my workload in a way that works best for me. This sense of autonomy has led to a greater sense of responsibility and ownership in my work and career, driving productivity gains. The research backs up my observation: A study published in the Journal of Business and Psychology found that remote work enhances intrinsic motivation, which is strongly correlated with improved performance.  

•  Managing the challenges: It’s not all sweetness and light. There are times when there is a feeling of isolation. It’s not always possible to grab a coffee with a co-worker and shoot the breeze or share a difficulty. It’s also harder to separate work from personal life, and the potential for overworking is always present.  

To mitigate these challenges, I encourage my team to embrace a strong virtual team culture by offering 30-minute coffee breaks where people talk about anything that is not work. We also prioritise teamwork and encourage regular breaks and work-life boundaries. Other approaches include monthly virtual townhalls, weekly 1-on-1 sessions, regular team meetings and formalised project updates. And, we target quarterly in-person meet-ups to ensure we make space for the real-life connections that help people engage with each other and give rise to new ideas. We see it as a work in progress, always looking for new ways to improve the experience.   

If WFH is so great, why all the Return to Work (RTO) talk? 

Let’s talk about the elephant in the room. Many large companies have issued high-profile return-to-office mandates in the past two years. Their CEOs often espouse the innovation and productivity that come from in-person collaboration. I don’t buy it. 

Often, the studies cited claiming greater productivity in the office do not tell the whole story. Some are limited to locations where the remote work infrastructure is not optimal, they don’t control for a lack of employer investment in WFH tools, or they cover time periods when remote work technology was not as good as it is today. 

 For example, one study found a 20% decline in productivity for remote workers, but the study was limited to one company and one function (IT), comparing output before and during Covid lockdowns. That means they were looking at people who weren’t prepared to work from home and who were unexpectedly responsible for supporting remote tech for their entire company (remember all the companies setting up Teams and VPNs overnight?). What’s more, the study measured productivity during a time when whole families were suddenly taking part in remote work and schooling whilst dealing with a life-changing pandemic.  

The study ultimately found output was unchanged, but remote work led to an increase in work hours, resulting in lower productivity per hour. Importantly, when measuring the productivity of pre-Covid on-site workers, they didn’t measure the time those employees spent commuting. The researchers might have seen it as lost productivity, but I’m certain the employees didn’t. 

So what’s really driving the RTO mandates? Collaboration-happy CEOs don’t always mention the desire to fill empty real estate or encourage voluntary attrition, including among the significant IT staff they hired at the height of the pandemic. While a belief that productivity will increase may be a factor, these other issues surely must be on their minds as well. 

 For Atlas, WFH is here to stay 

 Atlas is built on the principle that people can work from anywhere, so we are a company that embraces everything remote work has to offer. We offer WFH to those who choose it and we make every possible alternative available to those who don’t. We are mindful of the challenges remote work presents, and we continually test new technology and programs to create the best possible employee experiences. More than ever, the past four years have revealed the benefits of working from home: improved satisfaction, retention, engagement and a vastly expanded talent pool. 

For me, the shift to remote work has revealed significant productivity benefits. I’m proud of that, but it’s the benefits to my physical and mental health, the time I get with my family, and the improvement to my overall quality of life that I wouldn’t trade for the world.