Study — Working from Home Possibly an Idea Stifling Proposition

These days — and especially in an industry like insurance — a lot of us do a high percentage of our work week at home. In many cases, our work is done in a hybrid setting that combines working from home with day or so at the office.

While it works very well for that mythic work-home balance that many of us seek, it may have a tendency to stifle innovation and the good ideas that propel a company forward.

That’s the conclusion of a study of 48,000 people in India.

While India is light years from the United States, the study by researchers at the University of Essex and the University of Chicago has some relevance to the companies and employees in the U.S.

Dr. Christoph Siemroth is the lead researcher. He said in the hybrid work model, employees working from home are less likely to come up with those great innovative ideas than those working in the office full-time. In fact, Dr. Siemroth said, what innovations they come up with are often of much lower quality than those from people always working in the office. 

“Innovation in the workplace can occur through random, spontaneous ‘watercooler’ conversations between employees,” Dr. Siemroth said. “However, these ‘productive accidents’ are less likely to occur when employees work from home. Our research has found that innovation is suffering as a result.”

If a company is going to do a hybrid work schedule — or stick with one — there needs to be coordination where most employees are in the office working together once in a while.

“Our findings imply that companies should take steps to coordinate when employees are in the office. Innovation does not work well if half the team is in on Mondays while the other half is in on Wednesdays,” he said. “Instead, set days where the whole team is expected in the office. While this limits the flexibility of hybrid work, our results suggest that innovation benefits as a result.”

Another positive for employers is instilling a work culture where employees see innovation as a key part of their job. Financial rewards — the study said — should follow

Source link: Carrier Management — https://bit.ly/4dHy1ig