Blog

The Great Debate! 

From articles circulated and conversations overheard, opinion has it that both scenarios, the Office or Working from Home, have their positive and negative aspects! Most likely you have expressed your thoughts, whether as a Small Business owner or employee or both!

But isn't the answer simply, ‘finding the RIGHT balance for optimal productivity in any work environment’?  

YES! 

Don't wait, act now! Smart Businesses tailor their approaches to suit the needs of employees and provide ongoing support to get the best results and outcomes for all parties. 

In essence, where there is the opportunity, the solution lies in offering various working models, Office, Home or Hybrid arrangements.

But let’s take a closer look and examine the question considering the arguments, the pros and cons of both positions.

The Advantages of Working in an Office Environment: 

• Provides the opportunity for Teamwork, collaboration and social connection and the benefits found as part of the office culture.  
• Fosters increased productivity by providing peer support, and face to face interaction that allows for better communication and problem-solving. 
• Greater overall career development and growth opportunities in this setting

The Benefits of Working from Home for Increased Productivity:

• The advantages include providing personalised workspace, flexibility in routines, and reduced stress with efficiency gains in time and travel avoiding long commutes.

• This model is particularly suited to the self-motivated, highly organized and disciplined worker. 
• There was increased productivity in occupations that required a high degree of focusedor independent work such as software engineers.

The Challenges of Maintaining Productivity in the Office Situation:

• Office distractions include the unrelenting ‘chatterbox’, unnecessary meetings and interruptions, along with office politics and conflicts, all affecting productivity and output. 
• But all these ‘issues’ can be addressed by developing and implementing counter strategies.

 The Struggles and Solutions for Staying Focused when Working from Home:

• Struggles include unplanned, unrelated distractions and interruptions affecting attention to the task, along with a lack of suitable ‘office’ tools, equipment and resources that can hamper both output and work satisfaction.
• Additionally, feelings of disconnection, isolation and loneliness, being away from the office hub can emerge, affecting focus and concentration.
• To lessen these impacts research suggests the solution lies in having skilled Managers. Those prepared to listen, act and support their employees to achieve better results and outcomes for all concerned.

6 Top Tips for Maximising Productivity in all Settings, Office and Home, Remote arrangements:

1. Engage with your Team, Employees to design and adopt effective communication strategies

2. Ensure you have well-skilled Managers available to support your Workforce

3. Adopt Time-management techniques - essential for all, in any setting

4. Develop Employee Personal Plans- Goal setting, Opportunities and Accountability milestones

5. Foster a Business Culture that accommodates any working arrangement

6. Support your Business and Employees by providing Technology, Training and Career /Growth Opportunities

To reiterate, the answer is simply 'finding the right balance for optimal productivity in any work environment'!

Try the above 6 Top Tips to get your balance and best outcomes for all concerned!