An overview of the pros and cons of working from home
Introduced in Romania two years ago, telework has gained a lot of traction in recent months, being one of the solutions identified to ensure social distancing norms imposed by the pandemic. 15,000 people had a telework clause already stipulated into their employment agreements when a state of emergency was declared in Romania on March 16. Over the next two months, their number tripled. In other words, telework became more and more the solution, both for employees and employers. Telework does not suit any field of activity, however. Actually, it's turned out to be a challenge for many Romanians. A study conducted by Colliers International in Romania and nearby countries reveals that 40% of respondents are experiencing difficulties working from home. Spontaneous encounters with colleagues have been flagged as one the things employees seem to miss the most. 67% of participants say there is no clear boundary between personal and professional life. Despite these shortcomings, more than half of Romanians who took part in the survey claim their productivity has not fallen short. 23% actually say they have been more effective working from home. Company managers too seem to have taken notice of this boost in efficiency, which is why they are considering making telework a regular part of their companies' activity.
Yet how viable exactly is telework? It's a very interesting topic, Romanian Social-Democrat MEP Carmen Avram says. She told us more about the benefits of telework:
"I believe telework will become commonplace across the EU. It's been proven, and I personally find this to be a paradox, that employees' efficiency has gone up during this period. More studies are still needed, but the evidence shows that people work better whenever it's possible for them to work from home. Let's look at the European Union. The entire budget for the next seven years will focus on economic recovery, in turn based on the Green Deal. What is this Green Deal about? It seeks to reduce carbon gas emissions and pollution overall. I think getting working people out of their homes and out in the streets in numbers similar to those prior to the coronavirus crisis will be one of the criteria taken under advisement. If we want, for example, to curb emissions, we would have a lot to gain from keeping our employees working from home, whenever this is possible. This would lower emissions and make employees deliver better and faster in sectors where this is possible, employees who stick to deadlines and complete their assignments. So, in terms of the Green Deal, this will be one of the options on the table. It's equally profitable for employers too."
Apart from working from home, telework also relies heavily on technology, meaning it is being carried out through electronic means of communication. It requires state-of-the-art hardware, so as to improve productivity. At the same time, people require certain skills, having to rethink their interaction and take up new roles. We've spoken to human resources expert Sorin Faur:
"This isn't about technology, it's about mindset, perspective. Speaking of management, its role in remote communication is critical. There are additional tasks to manage, which were previously implicit, because we were together, sitting close to each other, often sharing the same office, a common area. We could see each other and read our non-verbal language, we were aware of our peers. Conversely, a team of say 15 people who each works from their home will have zero contact. It is here that the manager's role changes fundamentally. He becomes a communication hub."
Sociologist Mircea Kivu believes there are pros and cons to telework, and we need to be on our guard with respect to the latter:
"People are social beings. They crave interaction. The need to interact not just on Skype or on their smartphones. They need to be close to other people to be a team. There are benefits to teamwork that have been underpinned by HR studies over the course of decades. Unfortunately, by shifting most of the workload to people's homes, many of these benefits are lost. There've been experiments, even prior to this pandemic, when large enterprises thought of getting at least part of their employees to work from home. While this was physically possible, and the business kept operational, they noticed that after a while the workers felt the need to work together. So I think we need to consider how to defend ourselves against the downsides of this system. And I'm thinking those managers who keep their employees at home for weeks should maybe organize team-buildings or other activities every once in a while."
The future is uncertain. What we do know, however, is that Bucharest is the best-suited city in the world to work from home, according to the Remote Working Index compiled by Broadband Deals in the UK. 50 of the world's largest cities have been under scrutiny for this survey, factoring in aspects such as average Internet speed, availability of food delivery, the number of remote working jobs available, the price of a laptop and the cost of living. Huston, Las Vegas and Atlanta in the United States and Budapest in Hungary follow Bucharest in the ranking of cities deemed optimal for remote working.
(Translated by V. Palcu)
Useful Links
Copyright © . All rights reserved