The report also found that people don’t trust their colleagues to be as conscientious as they are.
A report by Cisco (via ZDNet) reveals people’s attitudes towards remote and hybrid working. Having surveyed 1,050 UK employees, Cisco found that 75% said their manager trusted them to be productive while working from home. But a lower proportion (61%) felt their colleagues could be trusted to do the same.
Workers also felt that bosses were more likely to micromanage when they were working remotely or in hybrid arrangements, with 43% of respondents reporting those micromanaging behaviours had increased.
The finding suggests that building and maintaining trust could be trickier for organizations mulling a move to hybrid working – despite the report highlighting numerous perceived benefits of doing so.
This includes drastically increased feelings of wellbeing, with 79% of respondents saying the ability to work from anywhere had made them happier and 57% claiming their productivity and the quality of their work had improved.
Different worker habits and styles present challenges to business leaders
Jen Scherler-Gormley, head of people and communities for Cisco UK & Ireland, explained. “It is clear that hybrid working is here to stay, and for good reason as employees and businesses alike see tangible benefits across key indicators – from improved overall employee wellbeing to better productivity and work performance.”
However, Scherler-Gormley told ZDNet that different working styles and preferences presented challenges to business leaders, who must figure out how to foster an inclusive environment regardless of where people are working from.
Over half of respondents said employees who choose to work remotely all of the time will have challenges engaging with their colleagues (58%) and company (56%), compared to hybrid workers who toggle between remote and in-office work.
“More needs to be done to fully leverage the opportunities of a hybrid work future, particularly in building an inclusive culture, devising employee engagement strategies, and deploying technology infrastructure to bring organisations to the readiness levels of their employees,” Scherler-Gormley said.
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