So how many of us last week, ate our breakfast, got dressed and commuted all the way from the kitchen to the study? Then got on with our job in the warm and comfort of our own home? If you were chuckling at the pictures of millions of commuters struggling to work – by car or by fairly non-existent public transport in some parts of the country, then you certainly weren’t alone. What stories have you to tell of colleagues battling the elements whilst you sharpened the odd pencil or two?
The Centre for Economic Business research says that £1 billion a day was lost through reduced output because of the snow and that there could be more to come. They also stated that the value of employers using people who work from their own home has never been more relevant.
This just shouldn’t still be happening. The technology has been around for years to prevent the daily commute to the office for many, and yet why is business kicking and dragging its heels not to adapt to changing times? It just doesn’t make economic sense and yet despite the research employers are still generally an untrusting lot. It seems to give many bosses pleasure and security to see ‘bottoms on seats’ so that they can look out of their office and survey their empire. There are of course some security issues, and some jobs cannot be done without face to face contact but come on guys, let’s use some common sense.
Employers using full or part-time employees need to wise up and get themselves used to the idea that they don’t need to have an office full of staff with all the costs to be productive. In fact, research shows that people who work from home are actually more productive because they don’t want to be accused of abusing the system and maybe they feel more motivated and energetic simply by not having to do the daily commute there and home again.
If an employer using freelance workers is too much of a leap of faith then we should ask them to see sense and adapt to this new world where some employees can perfectly well work from home, saving costs, the environment and improving productivity, as well as setting the bar a little higher for those permanent in-house employees.
