Many employees believe working from home is impeding their productivity

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Published June 18, 2020 at 10:39 pm

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As a result of the pandemic, many Canadians have transitioned to working from home, and many don’t expect this will change in the near future.

Additionally, according to a recent survey, many Canadians believe their employers need to step it up in terms of challenges associated with working from home.

The survey, commissioned by ServiceNow, found that 33 per cent of respondents feel less productive while working from home due to a lack of proper setup, tools, and technology.

“It’s important to create great experiences for employees during the best of times. And during tough times, such as the one we’re currently facing with COVID-19, it’s even more important to consider and prioritize the employee experience,” Marc LeCuyer, General Manager of ServiceNow Canada, said in a news release.

“Now that Canadian office workers are working from home and will likely do so for much longer, it’s critical to understand what we need to do to support employees to do great work from anywhere,” he continued.

According to the findings, 26 per cent  of employees who had never worked from home before felt they weren’t prepared to do so efficiently, compared to just five per cent of employees with previous experience.

Further, 83 per cent of office workers feel their employer isn’t providing them with the appropriate technology they need to perform their job.

Moreover, 51 per cent said they would be more productive if they had access to better technology.

However, many Canadians are enjoying some of the perks associated with working from home—69 per cent said they were saving time due to a lack of commuting, 62 per cent said they are saving money due to working from home, while 57 per cent said they have more time to devote to their personal hobbies and projects.

Working from home isn’t without its drawbacks, though. Many parents—55 per cent of working parents—have reported their personal responsibilities related to their kids (most of whom are at home due to school closures) are impeding their ability to be productive.

“More than half of Canadian office workers experience challenges with feeling connected and a third are less productive as they work from home during COVID-19. When employees are working in isolation through a pandemic, leaders must be extra diligent about listening to their employees, supporting them and making sure they are meeting their needs,” LeCuyer said.

“This could be by providing workers with additional tools to communicate and connect with their colleagues, leading with humanity and compassion, and being flexible and supportive while acknowledging the different and difficult circumstances we’re all in. We need to make work, work better for everyone – no matter where we are,” he added.

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