CPD LinkedIn Survey Poll Results - Do you like working from home? In the office? Or both?

In January 2022, we conducted a LinkedIn online survey to gauge the general consensus on whether professionals would prefer to be working from home, in the office or a mixture of both. This CPD article provides a simple analysis of the results that we gathered and how that may affect future working trends.

What is working from home?

Working from home, otherwise known as remote working is when an employee is able to work from either their house, apartment, or place of residence, rather than working from the office.

What is working in the office?

Although it may seem pretty self-explanatory, working from the office in the instance of this survey is referring to working from an office environment every day of the week.

What is Hybrid working?

Hybrid working is a flexible method of working where an employee splits their work week by partly working from home as well as working in the office.

Advantages vs disadvantages of working from home

There are many advantages that an individual can gain by working from home. However, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t a fair amount of disadvantages to contend with. Finding the right balance of working from home or in an office environment is typically key to making the most out of remote working. We have outlined some of the key advantages and disadvantages of working from home:

Advantages of working from home

1. Flexibility and agility - With employees no longer tied to an office, they may be better placed and more willing to work flexible hours such as earlier or later in the day or even at weekends.

2. Improved employee retention - Home working can help retain employees as it enables them to fit their work around their personal life. Staff will also feel increased levels of trust from their employer, which can contribute greatly to staff loyalty. 

3. Attract new talent - Home working can be offered as an incentive which will help you to attract new talent to your business. 

4. Increased productivity and motivation - Working from home could allow for a quieter environment that can facilitate more focused work. As employees save time that was previously spent commuting, they can increase their output of work each week. 

5. Improved staff health and wellbeing - Working from home could enable your employees to gain extra health benefits due to gaining additional sleep and spending more time with their family. 

6. Financial benefits – While your employer can make savings on office space, office supplies, utility bills and other facilities, you can also do the same through saving on travel costs, lunch etc. 

7. Better work/life balance – Employees are able to fit in activities and obligations around their working day, giving them more free time in the evenings and increasing their life satisfaction. 

8. Less sickness absences – staff are more likely to feel happy and energised working from home and so there is less chance of their immune system being negatively impacted by burnout and commuting.

Disadvantages of working from home

1. Working from home doesn't suit everyone - working from home might not be suited to everyone's personality or ability. Some employees might prefer the routine and structure that working in an office environment provides them. Some staff may prefer personal interaction with colleagues and also find face-to-face guidance with their manager extremely beneficial in helping them complete tasks and achieve their goals.

2. Staff feeling isolated – Employees that work from home may feel disconnected from their colleagues and organisation. Even with the use of online communication systems such as Zoom, it is hard to replace face to face human interaction.

3. Home distractions – If a worker doesn't have a quiet dedicated working space at home, then they could be prone to getting easily distracted by household noises or other members of their household.

4. Potential burnout – Working from home can often lead to staff struggling to differentiate between work-life and home-life, leading to employees finding it difficult to know how to switch off from work. This can cause increased fatigue and often burnout as your employees might find it difficult to switch off.

5. Cost of working from home – You may face increased costs from providing suitable equipment such as laptops and mobile phones as well as other IT equipment.

6. Problems with staff development – Often, not having staff in close physical proximity can lead to difficulty in maintaining staff development. To combat this, you could encourage staff to take the opportunity to learn new skills through online CPD courses and events.

7. Information security risk - There is an increased risk when laptops are taken home by staff, who need to access servers remotely. Employers can put measures in place to protect company data but this will cause additional costs.

Analysis of our LinkedIn Survey Poll results

57% of the voters were in favour of working a hybrid week. As shown by the Great Resignation that took place in November 2021, most professionals realised that in order for their job satisfaction to be optimal they should be allowed the option to work from home some days of the week so they can have the best work/life balance. Many workers have decided to resign from their job role after being told to return to an office work environment full time. The results shown appear to reflect the general consensus of society, and demonstrate a large shift in mentality towards how a work week should be constructed. 

The CPD LinkedIn survey poll results demonstrated that 32% voted in favour of working from home full time and never having to return to the office. The number of people working from home increased drastically during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and it seems as though a large percentage of people don’t want to revert back to their old typical working week. This is reflected as well by the vast majority wanting to work a hybrid work week.

11% of voters demonstrated that working in the office was their preferred method and they would rather be in a structured environment full time to complete their work. The poll doesn’t demonstrate whether this is due to certain jobs requiring individuals to physically attend, or if some professionals do just prefer working solely from an office environment. One thing that this result does reveal is the overall effect to the working environment post pandemic and the importance of greater flexibility in employee happiness and career satisfaction.

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