Does work from home really work?

Work from home policy has been utilized across companies worldwide during these few months, but did you know it was initiated long before the internet era? As situational contexts are different, will WFH actually work for startups in 2020?

Most companies have rolled out the policy, but not everyone believes that their employees will stay as productive, and be accountable when they’re at home.

Despite doubts people have towards WFH, a 2-year Stanford study showed that it can improve productivity and effectiveness. Tested with a Chinese travel agency, with 16,000 employees who spent a lot of time commuting to office in Shanghai, the company sought to find out if WFH would reduce office rental costs.

Dividing the 500-employee control group into 2 groups, one remained working in the office, while the other group stayed at home. The results showed that those who worked from home stayed focused on given tasks and maximized their quality of work. Also, they took shorter breaks and less leave.

Though the WFH study showed astonishing results, it might cause isolation if being utilized in the long-term. The best practice is to gradually adapt the policy with employees on a weekly basis, e.g. 2-3 days WFH. This will reduce stress and exhaustion caused by long commutes.
So, is your business ready for a change?