14 December 2020 | Annabel Hudson
As a result of COVID-19, many organisations were forced to switch to remote working, virtually overnight. Initially, this new style of working was difficult for many to adapt to; people didn’t have the resources or the utilities in place to work outside the office. However, after a good couple of months of trial and error, people started to become more comfortable with the new norms of working remotely, and actually started to see the benefits of doing so, let’s have a look at what those benefits are:
Increased Productivity
Although it is thought that working remotely encourages laziness and lack of productivity, this is not the case. Remote workers often benefit from reduced workplace distractions and more freedom to work during the hours they find most productive, consequently increasing efficiency. Evidence from the 2020 Airtasker Survey Report highlighted that although employees working remotely took more breaks throughout the day, the also dedicated more time to work tasks; only 39% of remote workers sought out distractions compared with 56% of in-office workers.
Virtual Commutes
Employee satisfaction is often deeply influenced by commute times; long commutes are actually the direct cause of 1 in 4 individuals quitting their job. However, for remote workers, the commute lasts as long as it takes to get to the next room. Not only does this have a seriously positive influence on remote workers wallets, saving them on average around £3k annually, but also on the free time they have to concentrate on themselves outside of the office, 408 hours (or 17 days!) to be precise.
Positive Environmental Impact
Workers who commute to their office via car spend on average 27 minutes each day commuting. By removing the need for employees to do this, organisations can have a significant impact on the environment. Over 3.9 million US workers work remotely at least half the time, and in doing so reduce greenhouse gas emissions by the equivalent of taking more than 600,000 cars of the road. Not only does contribute to improving the climate, but it also reduces the organisation’s carbon footprint and improves their reputation. It’s a win for the company and the planet!
Remote Working at Pogo Studio
Here at Pogo, like many other organisations, our remote working began as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Although we had to make a few changes to our game plan, we quickly adapted to our new working environments at home. While working remotely, we have fully created our digital healthcare platform ‘Tailored Talks’. This platform is a critical enabler of the Hospital to Home pathway developed in partnership between NHS Lothian and Chest, Heart & Stroke Scotland. It was created to facilitate effective discharge, to support people and their families make the transition from ICU to home following a COVID diagnosis and to ensure that there is ongoing support as people learn to live with the longer-term impact of the virus.
Click here to read more about Tailored Talks and what exactly this platform has to offer.