Working from home has many advantages, for both employers and employees: it reduces the time spent travelling and getting ready for work and helps achieve a better work-life balance. That said, telework can affect the performance of some staff members.

Advances in technology have made telework easier to adopt. Everyone is always connected, whether via their cell phone, tablet or computer. Emails and text messages come in at all times of day. With that comes more notifications. This is all the more true for employees who are working from home. The problem? These alerts disrupt employees’ concentration and reduce their efficiency and productivity.
Nowadays, people feel like they are successfully completing several tasks at once (multitasking) and doing more work than ever before. The truth is that working this way is rarely effective and even less efficient. If you’re interrupted in the middle of a task, however briefly, it takes several minutes to get back on track. Of course, there are ways to reduce the number of distractions during a workday, such as checking email at a set time and shutting off certain notifications. Or one can even go so far as renting a coworking space.

Teleworking employees are not surrounded by coworkers like at the office. The team spirit, which is often a source of motivation and productivity, quickly dissipates. That’s why it’s easier to maintain a corporate culture at the office.
Being away from the office also means missing out on spontaneous conversations, sharing ideas, chatting and unwinding during lunch or on breaks. These interactions help foster a collaborative synergy that motivates team members. A synergy that is lost in a telework context…

Not everyone has a home office and the employer must bear the cost of setting up a workspace for their employees. For example, employers need to implement extra computer security, set out the terms and conditions regarding occupational health and safety standards, reimburse the costs employees incurred to purchase office furniture and accessories, in addition to providing access to high-speed Internet. Despite these efforts, workspaces at home can be less optimal than at the office and can affect employee performance.

While some employees find it easier to make progress on projects in a familiar setting, others find the social isolation quite difficult, as they are energized by in-person interactions with coworkers. Creating a satellite office can be an interesting solution for employers and some employees. Most coworking spaces are flexible, offering private offices, hot desks or dedicated workstations, meeting or conference rooms and more.

Contact us for more information about the different options we offer.