A report from The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) based on a global survey conducted in May 2021 of more than 360 business executives, studies the implications of remote working during the pandemic on organisations, their employees and productivity.

The report, sponsored by Kyocera Document Solutions, revealed that two in three (66.7%) of respondents said working from home (WFH) or remote working, is likely to continue in some form. The most preferred WFH ratio expressed by respondents is 30% home and 70% office.

The survey found that a number of factors are responsible for the different outcomes vis-à-vis productivity, the most important being the size of the company and the nature of its business. This is true across all regions, suggesting that what one does has a greater impact on productivity than where one lives. This was consistent in the findings of a much higher percentage of respondents in the financial industry (61.3%) reporting a productivity increase, compared with the overall percentage reporting such an increase (38.9%).

Naka Kondo, Senior Editor at The EIU and editor of the report said, “Remote work is likely to continue well beyond the pandemic in some form or another. Our research reveals organisations that have successfully adopted technology have had a better experience with employee productivity. It’s crucial to note also that the top contributing factor to productivity decrease was the ‘difficulty in collaborating with team members’, signalling that the value of in-person interactions can never be replaced. While nothing certain can yet be said of the future workplace, we hope the survey findings provide insight into the steps we could be taking in reimagining the ways we work.”

To download the full report please click here.