By Kaya 959 Reporter
Workers who are part of ‘Generation Work From Home’ are losing far more than the physical space of their office.
According to a recent survey, youth are especially less productive at home and risk stunted career development.
CEO at the Institute for People Management, Dr Jerry Gule, says older employees have already built up their professional networks. Working from home, he says, may not cost them as much in terms of a lack of face-to-face contact.
“But for the younger generation of workers, those still trying to make such ties, remote work can be alienating,” he adds.
Gule says the absence of face-to-face social networks, and picking up cues from body language in terms of what works or does or work from veterans, could lead the young to drift in and out of jobs.”
Global market research company, Ipsos, found that younger respondents find it more challenging to work from home. It cited a lack of discipline and an increase in distractions and interruptions.
Research also found that these respondents feel more isolated. The 30-44-year-old group believed that working from the office enhanced trust, the research found.
The 45-55-year-old group stated that they found it easier to work from home.
Service Line Lead at Ipsos Stella Fleetwood adds that the 18-28 age group reported more distractions and interruptions. They also believed that they were not disciplined enough to work from home.
Fleetwood says the group felt less motivated and felt Work From Home negatively impacted team performance.
“They risk stunted career development as training opportunities and skills transfer is limited… potentially slowing their progress,” she says.
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Reality sinks in for recent graduates
Deloitte’s Andisa Liba says the working from home experience is different depending on where you are in your career
She says senior professions have higher levels of confidence in their ability to do their jobs due to their experience.
Junior professionals feel less confident in themselves without the leadership shown to them in a physical workplace, she says.
Many workforces migrated online during the pandemic.
All three professionals say it’s become clear that international companies can operate without being in the office 24/7.
They agree that reality has sunk in for recent graduates, many of whom only need an internet connection to perform a job and don’t need to be tied down to a cubicle.
“This younger generation tends to be better at working with technology, and at working in a flexible way,” they say.
However, Fleetwood adds that the case for working from the office was heavily influenced by respondents’ perceived lack of self-discipline when working from home, and improved team collaboration when working at the office.
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