A FEW days ago, international healthcare and technology company Nimbyx went viral after posting a video asking their employees about their thoughts on having a work-from-home setup.
The consensus was that they were not in favor of working from home.
The employees shared different reasons for this: they felt that a work-from-home setup “encouraged laziness and complacency,” calling it “boring,” and even saying that it “makes you dumber every day.”
Many Filipinos – particularly those with a work-from-home setup – were quick to call out the company, with others sharing their experiences about how working from home is easier and less stressful.
A report from the Outsource Accelerator found that, in the BPO industry, outsourcing companies saw a 40% spike in productivity while working from home. It was also found that there was a decline in absences, and companies saved 20% on utilities and other expenses as well.
A poll conducted by researchers from Ergotron on 1,000 remote and hybrid employees in the U.S. also found that those interviewed agreed that work-from-home helps to improve work-life balance, increases productivity, and makes for a healthier lifestyle.
Outsource Accelerator observed that 52% of Filipino workers have been working from home for years, spiking up to 85% during the pandemic. At present, 49% continue to prefer this work setup.
JobStreet, an online recruitment platform, said that most job seekers in the Philippines now prefer either hybrid or remote work setups. Specifically, 46% of those interviewed said that they preferred a hybrid setup. On the other hand, 28% preferred a remote work setup.
This is based on their “Future of Recruitment Report,” which surveyed 90,547 respondents in 160 countries in 2022, with 11,438 of the respondents from the Philippines.
Millennials, Gen Z speak
To better discuss this topic, republicasia interviewed five people with different work setups. All of them said that they prefer a hybrid work setup.
33-year-old millennial Karla Chan, who has a hybrid work setup, sees this as ideal for her line of work because it allows for work-life balance.
“I don’t have to spend X hours on the road traveling to and from the office; I can allocate that time to rest, spend time with family, or [for] leisure,” she explained.
She added that it also helps to increase productivity, and offers more comfort and less expenses. She’s also able to prioritize her health because she isn’t exposed to pollution or potentially sick officemates.
“Since we’re [in a] hybrid setup, we still get to interact with our teammates; it makes the bonding time more special since you don’t get to see each other often,” she said.
“Not to mention [that] working remotely gives us the opportunity to collaborate with others based in the provinces, or even in other countries.”
In this setup, Chan sees no disadvantages. For her, you get to have the best of both worlds.
23-year-old Zia Ramirez’s current job in the national government requires a hybrid setup, where she has four days in the office and one that’s work-from-home.
She prefers this setup because she can easily get distracted in a WFH setup. Through her office setup, she’s able to focus on work and interact more with her colleagues.
She noted that it does have its downsides: she spends a lot of money on her commute and on laundry.
Despite not being fond of working from home, Ramirez disagrees with the notion that this setup makes one lazier or less productive.
“It works for so many people, and it really helps, especially for workers with children,” she said.
“They can balance life and work better that way. I know this because my mom works at home, and it’s been helpful especially [since] my siblings are still in elementary.”
Denzel Reyes, whose work is fully on-site, has the same sentiments. While working at the office means he’s more productive and focused, he also finds the commute to be a hassle. He finds that a huge part of his salary goes to his transport expenses and food, which can both be expensive.
The 26-year-old employee feels that a hybrid setup would work best for him, particularly for his co-workers who live far from the office. He also doesn’t necessarily agree with the sentiment that working from home makes you lazier.
“It really depends on the person; you can still be lazy and work on-site,” he said.
27-year-old Adrienne Samaniego, who also works on-site five times a week, added: “It depends on the person; how they manage their time and handle their workload. I think WFH makes employees more independent and responsible [for] getting their tasks done without any supervision. For me, the important thing is as long as you get the job done at the end of the day then it’s not really an issue where you work from.”
For Samaniego, having a separate workspace from her home is essential for her to be in a better headspace.
She believes that it can still be improved to cater to a hybrid setup, which she feels would be more suitable, particularly for health reasons or for external factors like typhoons, floods, and the like. She added that a hybrid setup would also help to save on expenses for both parties.
Like many others, what Samaniego finds most difficult about her work setup is the commute. Her commute takes up most of her time, making it difficult for her to have a sense of work-life balance.
“Sometimes I feel like I’m just a tenant in our house since I leave early in the morning and come home at night just to do the same thing all over again the next day,” she confessed.
Given that her job is brand marketing, most of her work can be done on a computer, but there are times when she feels that face-to-face work is a must. This is why she prefers a hybrid setup, one that takes into consideration both the company’s standards and the well-being of the company’s employees.
Meanwhile, 22-year-old Kim Dacanay’s work requires a fully remote setup.
She explained: “I know that WFH is the best setup because it allows me to be flexible in working, manage my time more effectively, and the absence of a daily commute saves me a considerable amount of time which I can then invest in additional work or personal activities, reinforcing work-life balance.”
With work-from-home, she said she has a lot of control over her time, which is great since she loves to travel and can bring her work with her anywhere.
She does, however, struggle with the bouts of prolonged isolation. She felt that a hybrid setup is best for someone like her, who’s in marketing.
“It’s very important to still meet with the team for content creation, but all the other parts of the campaign can be done online,” she said.
For Dacanay, choosing which work setup is most productive depends on the person and their work style, adding that there’s no one-size-fits-all answer to something as complex as this.
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