For many years remote work had something of a stigma associated with it, as managers believed that being out of sight would mean people would loaf off and productivity would fall.  Of course, research clearly showed that wasn’t the case, and in fact, productivity generally grew as people gained more control over their workday and were stripped of the various distractions that blight us in a physical office.

So it shouldn’t really come as a great surprise, at least to those who were paying attention previously, that productivity has remained stable, or in many cases actually risen, during the Covid-19 pandemic in which remote working has become the norm for many knowledge workers.

Further evidence comes from the University of Southampton’s Work After Lockdown study, which aims to take a more objective look at the productivity of remote workers during the pandemic.

“Work After Lockdown explores the experience, impact, and outcomes of pandemic-driven working from home at both individual and organizational levels,” the researchers explain. “The project employs survey and interview methods along with analysis of national datasets over an 18-month period (July 2020 – December 2021).”

Life in lockdown

The survey asked over 1,000 people about their productivity while working from home.  Labor productivity was gauged using output per hour worked.  This method aimed to overcome focusing just on the number of hours worked.

Respondents were asked whether their productivity felt higher during the pandemic than it was before.  The results suggest that 54% of people thought it had gotten higher for every hour they worked than it was before the pandemic.

When coupled with the proportion of people who rated their productivity as the same as before the pandemic, it meant that nearly 90% thought that their productivity had either stayed the same or improved while working from home.  It’s a result that broadly matches what previous studies have shown about the productivity gains from remote work.

Mental wellbeing

Of course, the pandemic has also been a period of intense stress, so the researchers also wanted to understand how remote working was affecting the mental wellbeing of people.  Participants were scored on the WHO’s WHO-5 index, and the results suggest a clear correlation between higher productivity and higher mental health.

Of course, correlation doesn’t equate to causation, and it’s not clear if it’s poor mental health that causes lower productivity or vice versa.  It’s quite possible that it’s a combination of the two.  There are definite issues surrounding social contact and mental health, however.

“Employees miss the sociability and benefits of collaboration offered by working in shared workspaces,” the researchers say. “This could drive a surge back to the office when lockdown restrictions ease and confidence returns, particularly amongst younger people.”

Building resilience

The researchers also examined the ability of employees to adapt to the changing circumstances brought about by the pandemic and overcome any setbacks they may experience.  They hypothesized that those with greater resilience would be better able to focus on the task at hand, and therefore be more productive.

The data seemed to support this notion, as over 90% of their respondents reported that they were able to concentrate on a single activity for a prolonged period of time.  Similar numbers also said that the autonomy afforded them by their employer when working from home was highly valued and allowed them to better regulate their thoughts and avoid distractions.

Of course, that’s not to say that everything is hunky dory, and the authors highlight the strain many of us have lived under during the pandemic, and emphasize the importance of more compassionate leadership to help employees with the various challenges they face.  The rewards from doing so, however, seem to be clear in terms of the increased productivity they might expect in return.

The success achieved by remote workers during the pandemic has, the authors believe, resulted in a fundamental shift in the narrative surrounding how, where, and even when we work that is likely to endure long after the pandemic has moved from the front pages of our lives.

“Latent demand for permanent flexible working pattern changes has been unlocked,” the researchers conclude. “Employers must be ready to meet that demand with well-defined positions on hybrid and flexible working for every job role for the existing workforce and new recruits.”