Has productivity improved this year? 2020 working roundup

Well, we made it into 2021! No one could have imagined the rollercoaster of a year we have been through, but it’s over now, onwards and upwards into 2021. 

One thing we have all probably struggled with from time to time this year is staying productive, but how has the global workforce fared in terms of getting their work finished? Let’s find out.

Firstly, 80% of employers intend to offer at least past time home working from 2021 onwards. The shift to remote working has helped organizations realize the potential to scale up quickly and efficiently, without a significant increase in labor costs than office working. Although this may result in productivity boosts for some workers and teams, it is estimated that 82 percent of remote employee managers have concerns about productivity falling as remote working continues to be adopted more widely.

Unsurprisingly, mental health has had a detrimental effect on the economy, with the US losing out on $210 billion in output due to depression alone.

Some evidence to support the claims that productivity has increased due to the remote working shift include the extra saving on travel costs for workers and the increased time between changes. Remote workers could be saving an average of $4,000 per year if they continue to work remotely. Not only that, but the average commute for countries such as the UK is roughly 1 hour. Remote workers may find themselves more productive due to the increased free time available to them. The average remote worker now finds themselves with around five extra hours of free time per week.

Remote working gives individual employees the chance to carry out extra work for their managers – As they do not need to travel while they work from home. Although actual output may be increasing for organizations, the time employees spent working could be hindering their relative earnings per hour. 

With relatively shorter work breaks on average and fewer distractions in the household, the average time remote employees are staying online for nearly over 3 hours each day – A suggestion that productivity increases may be leading to the unseen problem of overworking. When working from home, it can be hard to switch off, so it is vital to ensure your employees are always given monitoring at the start and end of each day. Remind them that there is still tomorrow to finish non-critical tasks.

Have you seen your workers become more productive through home remote working? One of the great ways you can boost productivity in your organization is by investing in a remote working tool that offers a remote method of your general procedures, such as customer service, communications, marketing, and CRM.

If you would like to become more productive in these areas of your business, click here to find out how