Remote work vs return to office: The battle for workplace culture, pay and productivity
Remote work, often abbreviated as WFH (work-from-home), is becoming culturally ingrained, despite pushback through return-to-office (RTO) mandates.
A poll from Global Payroll Association revealed that three-quarters of people would turn down a job that doesn't offer hybrid or remote working. While critics say WFH reduces productivity.
Sandra Crous, managing director at Deel Local Payroll, powered by PaySpace, notes that there is an increasing expectation for more workplace flexibility, and certain roles work better with flexible hours and locations.
'Considering that our digital society enables remote and flexible working, it's no wonder it has become the norm. Companies should think about where it's appropriate and how they create the systems to manage different work styles.'
Adapting to remote work
She says workplace flexibility is complex. The ability to work remotely depends on employee roles and business projects, managerial styles, customer expectations, and even how flexibility is presented.
'For example, is time and location flexibility a standard feature or offered as a perk?'
Crous highlights that work location flexibility is incompatible with some roles or industries. It can stagnate or elevate careers. It can reduce pay or increase bonuses. Furthermore, it can make some jobs more productive and others less.
ALSO READ: How to create a healthy work environment for employees
Work location flexibility
'In some cases, it has no impact at all. If companies want to calibrate remote working to their requirements, they need systems that support flexibility. Payroll and human resources systems have the biggest impact.'
She highlights that modern payroll and HR platforms offer increased flexibility for companies through data-driven insights, employee enablement services, and seamless integration with other business areas.
'They establish the processes that enable a business to adapt and adopt different work modes as required. For example, a modern payroll platform automates the management of variable pay structures, thereby reducing the administrative burden associated with taxes, benefits, time tracking, and invoicing.'
Efforts to support WFH
Crucially, they support remote work for managers of payroll, HR, and finances, who can access cloud-native payroll platforms remotely and securely from anywhere through their smart devices.
'When companies combine these features with other collaboration tools such as Slack or Teams, they open the doors to dynamic collaborative workflows for people at the office and elsewhere.'
NOW READ: Do you want to work at home or in an office that looks like a hotel?
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