New research finds employers ‘mistrust’ people to work remotely

24th August 2021 By: Simone Liedtke - Creamer Media Social Media Editor & Senior Writer

While only 35% of employers trust their staff fully while working remotely, only 19% say productivity decreased since employees transitioned to remote working, an observation which creates “quite the paradox”, notes research conducted for electronics company Ricoh, by UK public relations firm Opinion Matters.

The research conducted polled 1 500 European decision-makers.

“We closely mirror many of the European trends, particularly in our office worker environments in South Africa,” says Ricoh South Africa marketing head Jolene Castelyn, who adds that this insight is “particularly poignant since many organisations are enacting their return-to-work policies following the third wave”.

The research data showed that while people continued to be productive, employers felt they trust them less, which indicates a lack of visibility, loss of managerial control and uncertainty about the processes, workflows and collaboration capabilities companies may have in place.

Waning trust informs the desire of many employers to have their people return to the workplace as South Africa emerges from the peak of the third wave led by the Delta variant of Covid-19. 

“It could be an indicator of the complexities of dealing with the pandemic that so many people are worried about health and safety as they return to the office, that a majority think investing in hybrid working technology is a good idea, but most want their people back in the workplace,” said Castelyn, who warns that failing to acknowledge people’s concerns impacts on morale and could lead to a loss of talent.

The research notes that as many as 42% of people are worried about health and safety when returning to the office and that about 57% think flexible working technologies are essential to attract and retain talent.

“It’s vital for many businesses to have people in the workplace,” noted Castelyn.

“The office isn’t about to disappear. But business leaders are being confronted with the differences of working remotely versus hybrid ways of working, which are two different things. Sometimes, we need to gather to optimise our collaborative efforts, productivity, ideation, developing work relationships with colleagues that support important organisational developments,” she explained.

She added that employers are aware that there are advantages to commuting less, reducing workplace real estate and its many knock-on benefits, but she urged that people also need to be mindful of the ramifications for productivity, as well as morale, health and safety disruptions and talent acquisition and retention.

“Equipping people to be effective, productive and feel comfortable about health and safety while minimising the business disruptions that result from infections in the workplace, is a significant advantage for the foreseeable future,” Castelyn said.