Revenue loves remote work - so why are firms still afraid?
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Revenue loves remote work - so why are firms still afraid?
Matilda French
12 August 2024
6 min read
Matilda French
12 August 2024
6 min read
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Myth 1: Decreased productivity
Myth 2: Cultural erosion
Myth 3: Reduced innovation and creativity
Myth 4: Collaboration and communication challenges
Is there a reason your company isn't going remote? We’ve got the facts to dismantle four common myths about working from home.
Working from home improves company culture, innovation, and collaboration, and has no negative impact on productivity. So why are you still braving the commute?
When the conversation of remote versus in-office work comes up, the arguments presented by Team In-Office are often the same ones we hear again and again. From Nike's CEO stating that "it's really hard to do bold, disruptive innovation on Zoom" to Elon Musk accusing remote workers of pretending to work, we've all heard the ideas that remote working creates challenges for productivity, culture, creativity, and collaboration. But are any of those points proven?
We've collected the findings from various studies in our Out Of Office Report, and the statistics tell a different story. Let's go through the evidence against these arguments one by one.
When the conversation of remote versus in-office work comes up, the arguments presented by Team In-Office are often the same ones we hear again and again. From Nike's CEO stating that "it's really hard to do bold, disruptive innovation on Zoom" to Elon Musk accusing remote workers of pretending to work, we've all heard the ideas that remote working creates challenges for productivity, culture, creativity, and collaboration. But are any of those points proven?
We've collected the findings from various studies in our Out Of Office Report, and the statistics tell a different story. Let's go through the evidence against these arguments one by one.
Decreased productivity
The idea that allowing employees to work from home (WFH) will decrease productivity is rooted in a lack of trust. Too often, when workers are out of sight, they are assumed to be putting less time and effort into their work than they would be if they were being watched. But this ignores that people want to be good at their jobs, and with the freedom to work however they work best, they can achieve even more.
A 2023 report by Adaptavist found that 72% of business leaders noticed productivity increases regardless of whether employees are remote or in-office.¹ Another paper reported a productivity increase of 10% when workers had the opportunity for flexible working.² Also, organisations without in-office requirements saw their revenue grow by 20% between 2020 and 2022³: not bad for a bunch of people pretending to work.
A 2023 report by Adaptavist found that 72% of business leaders noticed productivity increases regardless of whether employees are remote or in-office.¹ Another paper reported a productivity increase of 10% when workers had the opportunity for flexible working.² Also, organisations without in-office requirements saw their revenue grow by 20% between 2020 and 2022³: not bad for a bunch of people pretending to work.
Cultural erosion
Another popular belief - that 76% of HR leaders agree with - is remote work harms employees' connection to their organisational culture⁴. How can a community thrive without obligatory in-person time together? What about those crucial water-cooler moments? From common-ground Slack channels to company-wide events on Zoom, the answer is mainly online, but no one's stopping you from grabbing a coffee with a colleague if you're in the same area!
Working from home doesn't weaken your company culture. In fact, 66% of remote workers agree that their company's culture has a positive impact on their role, compared with just 52% of on-site workers⁵. Culture is defined by relationships, behaviours, values, and beliefs, all of which can be nurtured online.
Working from home doesn't weaken your company culture. In fact, 66% of remote workers agree that their company's culture has a positive impact on their role, compared with just 52% of on-site workers⁵. Culture is defined by relationships, behaviours, values, and beliefs, all of which can be nurtured online.
Reduced innovation and creativity
Many companies rely on typical methods like brainstorming to encourage innovation and argue that these methods are harder to carry out online, but the truth is these methods are ineffective and less creative, whether in or out of the office⁶. As said by Annie Dean, Global Head of Team Anywhere at Atlassian: "The problem of today's working culture isn't about where people work, it's the fact that companies aren't providing their workers with the tools or ways of working to succeed."
Remote work doesn't decrease innovation; many organisations just lack the right methods to promote efficient idea generation.
Remote work doesn't decrease innovation; many organisations just lack the right methods to promote efficient idea generation.
Collaboration and communication challenges
Times have changed, expectations have changed, and fantastic digital tools have been developed to help organisations communicate and collaborate effectively when remote. "We need to accept and prioritise the reality that work does not happen shoulder to shoulder," says Dean. "Being distributed is not controversial. It's just a word that describes how almost all work gets done today: on the internet."
It's true that the synchronous communication norms of the office are no longer sustainable when working remotely. However, when organisations implement the right tools and methods, the evidence is clear: 80% of remote home workers find collaboration very easy, compared with just 51% of office-based employees⁷. Digital tools such as Confluence make collaborative work and communication simple.
So if remote working can offer everything that the office can in terms of productivity, company culture, innovation, and collaboration, as well as perks like zero commute, more time with your pets, and the freedom to have a sing-along whenever you feel like it, why hasn't your company gone remote yet?
It's true that the synchronous communication norms of the office are no longer sustainable when working remotely. However, when organisations implement the right tools and methods, the evidence is clear: 80% of remote home workers find collaboration very easy, compared with just 51% of office-based employees⁷. Digital tools such as Confluence make collaborative work and communication simple.
So if remote working can offer everything that the office can in terms of productivity, company culture, innovation, and collaboration, as well as perks like zero commute, more time with your pets, and the freedom to have a sing-along whenever you feel like it, why hasn't your company gone remote yet?
² Marta Angelici and Paola Profeta, 'Smart working: Flexibility without constraints,' Management Science, May 2023.
³ Boston Consulting Group and Scoop Technologies, The Flex Report: Q4 2023, 2023.
⁴ Gartner, 'Gartner Says HR Leaders Are Struggling to Adapt Current Organizational Culture to Support a Hybrid Workforce', May 2022.
⁵ Gartner, 'How to build a strong organisational culture - and why you must do it now', June 2022.
⁶ Nicholas W Kohn and Steven M Smith, 'Collaborative fixation: Effects of others' ideas on brainstorming', Applied Cognitive Psychology, May 2011.
Out Of Office Report
Order your free copy of the Out Of Office Report to see more of our findings, and show your company how remote work could be right for you.
Written by
Matilda French
Content Marketing Intern
Matilda has a BA Hons degree in Creative Writing and Film and Screen Studies and is using her love of storytelling to create informative content that helps workers get the most out of their digital tools.