Information workers doing their job remotely have been found to be less productive over the long term, according to a study on staff at Microsoft.
Whilst the study’s authors observed a productivity increase in the short-term immediately after companies made a switch from in-office to working remotely, work hours increased over a prolonged period, which was indicative of reduced productivity.
Communication between employees became more static, with reductions in the formation and deletion of new contacts between employees, the study found.
Researchers noted a “siloed” network, with fewer connections between formal business units, and within informal networks, creating condensed groups with few connections. Studies have shown, that compacted networks with limited connections impede the transfer of information, and reduce the quality of output….