51 per cent of tech employees say working from home has improved their work-life balance, according to a new report from UK-based tech-for-good developer, Culture Shift.
The report found that the events of recent months have positively impacted the culture of Britain’s technology industry, with 39 per cent saying it has actively improved since they transitioned to working from home.
As half of the UK’s workforce transitioned to remote working earlier this year, organisations were thrust into the spotlight with many standing by to see if they were able to make the transition seamlessly without detrimental impact on their culture. The same report also uncovered that 34 per cent of employees in tech said working from home has had a positive effect on their mental health, while 30 per cent said sentiment towards their job has been positively impacted and 33 per cent confirmed their relationship with their boss/employer has improved since they started working from home.
However, while many have welcomed the remote setup, 50 per cent of employees in tech said they have been feeling isolated while working from home.
The report also found that Imposter syndrome and self-doubt are rife, with 26 per cent of employees in tech feeling these more so working from home than they did previously
Progression has been impacted for the worse, with 31 per cent of tech employees saying they’ve been negatively affected when it comes to promotion opportunities. 24 per cent of employees in tech also said working from home has negatively affected their training and development.
Gemma McCall, CEO and co-founder of Culture Shift, said, “With many organisations across the country now thinking about how they can bring employees back to the office safely, we wanted to hone in on the general consensus on remote working these past few months.”
“While there have been some minor issues, it’s generally been quite successful.”
“Remote working has positively impacted employees’ wellbeing and is something employers should absolutely be considering as they plan for the future – especially now the success of this approach has been clearly proven.”
“While there are of course some key factors organisations need to work on, like continued commitment to training and development, as well as progression, employers should be ensuring they have systems and tools in place to empower their teams to remain productive, creative and supported, even while they’re working from home.”
Speaking about the report, Olive Strachan MBE, founder of Olive Strachan Resources Ltd, global business woman and diversity and inclusion specialist adds, “There’s no doubt the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in challenging times for businesses.”
“With many teams working remotely, organisations have had to improve their communication, keeping employees informed of developments, while demonstrating empathy, and providing coaching plus support for their mental health and general wellbeing.”
“The research found that most employees have credited their organisations with having a positive culture in the current climate, with many benefitting from improvements to their productivity, overall wellbeing, creativity, work-life balance and relationships with key stakeholders, such as their employer.”
To see more insights uncovered by the research or to download the full ‘Maintaining workplace culture in a rapidly changing environment’ report, visit info.culture-shift.co.uk/maintaining-workplace-culture.
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