The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a question that would have been unthinkable a few years ago: do we really need to be in the office all the time?

At the height of the pandemic, working remotely was viewed as a safeguard, protecting employees from the spread of infections. Over time a consensus has developed that working remotely has had benefits but has also raised health concerns.

To provide some answers to the question, I did research on the experience of working remotely from the perspective of 23 female middle managers working in the South African public service.

It was clear that remote work had positive and negative aspects.

On the positive side, working remotely offered flexibility. Employees could balance individual and work tasks. This gave them some freedom and autonomy. In essence, work-life balance was somewhat promoted.

One participant, a human resource manager, said:

During the height of the pandemic, I could spend more time connecting with other facets of my life outside work. I could read more at home. Do some gardening. Even connect more with the world around me. Yes I got to do some work but I also managed to do things I could not do previously.

On the negative side, the women said they experienced a blurring of work boundaries and an extension of their office hours.

Based on the findings, I make three recommendations for managing the downside of working remotely. First, organisations may need to provide employee support; an important part of this is to trust their staff. Second, policy around remote working may need to be in place and reinforced. Such policy needs to strike a balance between getting the work done and respecting the individual rights of employees. Finally, a culture of open communication can be useful on both sides to achieve this. This includes setting goals and addressing misconceptions around working remotely.

The upside

The female managers in the study extolled the work-life balance that remote work can offer.

The managers praised remote working as cutting back unnecessary time spent in traffic while commuting to work.

Read Full Story https://theconversation.com/remote-working-improves-the-lives-of-female-managers-but-at-a-cost-198326