Remote Work Doesn’t Negatively Affect Productivity

Remote work does not negatively impact productivity, according to a new study from Texas A&M. In fact, company resiliency may be enhanced by the opportunity for employees to work in decentralized settings through events that may cause displacement like natural disasters. “In the future, there will be a greater percentage of the workforce who is involved in some sort of office-style technology work activities,” said Mark Benden, director of the school’s Ergonomics Center and a researcher on the project. “Almost all of the study’s employees were right back up to the same level of output as they were doing before Hurricane Harvey. This is a huge message right now for employers because we’re having national debates about whether or not employees should be able to work remotely or in a hybrid schedule.” The study tracked employee technology data before, during, and after Hurricane Harvey. The team found that although total computer use declined during the event itself, behaviors during the seven-month period of remote work returned to pre-hurricane levels.