HubSpot has released a new report on remote working, highlighting that it’s certainly not about ‘watching TV in bed’.
In an increasingly competitive jobs market, companies are having to adapt to new ways of attracting and retaining staff. Among the most talked-about elements of the future of work – or the not-so-future, as some companies have shown – is remote working.
This week, HubSpot has released its first ever remote-working report, noting that more than half of professionals in the US now work remotely for at least half of the week.
The company’s CTO and co-founder Dharmesh Shah said earlier this year that ‘remote’ is the second-most searched word on the site’s careers page, leading him to introduce the ‘pyjama principle’.
That, he explained, is the concept of success being “proportional to the degree in which you let people work in their pyjamas”.
2019 Remote Work report
According to HubSpot, it developed the report out of an eagerness to learn more about its remote community and to “understand what an amazing employee experience looks like when you’re not coming into an office every day”.
It asked: “What’s different about the values, behaviours and working styles of remote employees? What’s the same? So, we decided to take to the streets to get to the bottom of what it really means to work remotely.”
The report was informed by surveys of more than 1,200 fully remote full-time workers – both HubSpot employees and non-HubSpot workers – across the US, the UK, Ireland, Sweden and Australia.
Commenting on the results, the company said: “Our 2019 Remote Work Report revealed that, drum roll please, remote workers actually have a lot in common with non-remote workers.
“So, if you always thought ‘remote’ was synonymous with ‘watching TV in bed’, think again.”
Lifestyle findings
Findings of the study reflect the point made by HubSpot, with 70pc of all remote workers surveyed saying they get ready for work in less than half an hour, and almost half taking less than an hour for lunch. A further 25pc work through their lunch hour.
Remote working has often been cited as a great method of boosting morale and motivation, and that was suggested in the findings, with almost three-quarters of non-HubSpot remote workers saying that working remotely increases productivity.
As for the types of people best-suited to remote work, 55pc of those surveyed described themselves as introverts and 45pc self-identified as extroverts.
But the challenges of remote working were also outlined in the study’s findings, with the 35pc of respondents working more than eight hours each day, and more than half reporting taking just one to two “meaningful breaks” away from the workspace every day.
One-in-five non-HubSpot remote workers reported feeling lonely on a regular basis, with “a lack of social connection” and “communicating with co-workers” cited as the top challenges faced by remote workers.
Keeping it inclusive
But despite those challenges, HubSpot chief people officer Katie Burke said that remote work is a “win-win”.
“For companies, it’s an opportunity to think about global and diverse talent in new ways, and for employees, it’s the flexibility to work where they work best,” she added.
The report also emphasised the importance of putting actions behind words when it comes to offering flexible and remote work.
HubSpot said: “It’s easy for an employer to say that they are remote friendly, but it’s another thing to ensure that the dynamic and inclusive company culture you promise to employees is delivered to your remote workforce, as well.”
