Do you believe it?

83% of employers say that, even after today’s crisis has passed, they plan to put more flexible work policies in place, such as allowing more people to work from home or letting them adjust their schedules.

That’s according to a recent survey of nearly 800 employers by Mercer, an HR and workplace benefits consulting firm.

I have warned against such surveys before - those that show what the sponsor of the survey wants to hear.  I am not suggesting that those sponsors are faking the results .... just that they ask the right questions in the right way to get the results they require.

But let’s address the claim.

I cannot believe that all, or even the majority of, home workers produce the same level, and quality, of outputs/outcomes that they would have done in their normal office environment. Especially as at the strrt of the pandemic most firms did not have ‘working from home’ protocols, procedures, controls or measures.

So, why do companies plan on more home and flexible working?

I think the truth may be that the savings on office space costs may more than make up for the loss of labour productivity.

I would like to see some robust and rigorous research look at this issue.... until then I’ll stick to my (admittedly personal) view.

The productivity of the workforce has probably dropped ... but total productivity may have risen, when taking into account all cost factors.