Goals, tipple, telly for some workers
AUSTRALIANS have been taking advantage of working from home, with more than a third watching TV on company time and one in 10 admitting to getting on the drink.
Exclusive figures from Dynata revealed a quarter of more than 1000 surveyed Australians were also knocking off early and 41 per cent were going shopping or running errands.
While some companies downloaded monitoring software onto workers’ computers to keep an eye on their progress, others encouraged staff to embrace their new-found flexibility.
Software companies WorkTime and Hubstaff both reported significant increases in demand for their employee monitoring products since COVID-19 forced many employees to work from home.
WorkTime chief executive Kirill Nesterenko reported a 300 per cent jump in inquiries from Australian businesses.
However, most Australians believed they were just as productive whether working from home or the office.
A Dynata report found almost 40 per cent considered themselves more productive while a third reported levels remained the same.
Inventium chief maker and productivity expert Dr Amantha Imber said a worker’s decision to watch TV or pop to the shops on work time was only an issue if it affected their ability to achieve their goals.
“It’s incredibly old-fashioned for managers to focus on hours rather than output,” she said.
“All managers need to focus on is making sure staff have clear goals and expectations so if they can meet that in four hours of their day then spend the other four hours watching Netflix, in theory there is no problem with that.”
Schiavello Group People & Culture Consulting behavioural data analyst Samantha Smith agreed taking breaks throughout the work day did not necessarily lead to reduced productivity.
“We need to remember primarily working from home is about trust and empowering employees to do the right thing,” she said.
“If the work isn’t being jeopardised in any way, there isn’t any reason we can’t manage our day as we see fit.”