KZ: Here’s my view: Productivity hinges on people’s individual circumstances and temperaments. Theoretically, an employee with a quiet home office has the opportunity to concentrate more effectively than a person with school-aged children who are asking for homework help in the middle of the workday.
That said, our employees have a wide range of circumstances at home, and yet they remain consistently productive. In some cases, being at home has allowed them to handle their family responsibilities in a more flexible manner, alleviating personal stress and enabling greater productivity.
Before the pandemic, DevelopIntelligence offered the option of working remotely a couple days a week. Some people find that it’s easier to do heads-down work in the quiet solitude of a home office. They can carve out uninterrupted blocks of time more easily and concentrate better without the distractions of other people’s phone conversations and office banter.
But we required people to be in the office three days a week, because we viewed this as essential for fostering collaboration, innovation and reinforcing company culture. Yes, people overhear conversations in an open office layout, but sometimes those overheard remarks spark new ideas.
My view is that time together provides better opportunities for information-sharing, brainstorming, and on a more personal level, it lets us understand each other’s challenges and celebrate wins together.
