Finally we have proof — current remote working practices are unsustainable

Peter du ToitI'm the founder of FutureWork IQ where I spend my time assisting businesses to improve their climate literacy so as to understand the projected impacts from the expanding climate crisis and how to adapt their workplaces in the face of these impacts.

This study of 10,000 employees forced into pandemic remote work found that productivity decreased by 20% (Source in comments)

Here is why:

“Why did productivity decline? The authors find that employees spent more time engaged in various types of formal and informal meetings during WFH, especially video conferences. Likewise, they spent substantially less time working without interruption. They also spent less time networking (both within the firm and with clients), and less time receiving coaching or 1:1 meetings with supervisors. These findings suggest that increased coordination costs during WFH at least partially explain the drop in productivity.”

To sum up:

This group were trying to work synchronously online. This is highly distracting, exhausting and unsustainable.

On the Remote Work Maturity Graph they are at Level 2 – what is known as “synchrouns remote working.”

Unless they learn how to move to Levels 3 and 4, where the default way of working is async-first and remote-first, they will eventually be forced back into offices.

Where is your team on this graph?