As employees adapt to working from home, bathrooms replace conference rooms, kids and pets crash meetings, cameras capture candid moments and awkward sounds.
In the blink of an eye, remote work went from an experiment to a requirement. And as the results of a recent survey conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Citrix Systems Inc, has revealed, work has a completely new look as employees around the world adapt to the realities or working from home.
According to Citrix, beds have become desks, bathrooms serve as conference rooms, kids and pets crash virtual meetings and cameras thought to be off capture awkward moments and sounds.
Yet, the Citrix survey found that workers remain as, if not more, productive and engaged as ever.
The company said remote work has become the new normal but for most employees, it is anything but.
“It’s interesting, funny and novel to see your co-workers in their pajamas on a video call,” said Donna Kimmel, executive vice president and chief people officer, Citrix. “But for remote work to work, employees need to get into a repeatable rhythm so they can be and do their best wherever they happen to be.
With their daily commutes reduced from hours to minutes, the majority of the 2,000 workers who participated in the OnePoll research – comprised of office workers currently working from home due to the coronavirus outbreak – are adapting their daily routines.
While 24% get up at the same time as they did when commuting to an office, the vast majority say they are working around a new clock with
25% sleeping in a little more, while 22% sleep until the last possible moment they need to be online.
Interestingly, the survey also revealed that respondents have also adjusted their personal routines and spend less time getting ready for work with34% shower every day, 26 % continue to do hair, makeup, and other grooming, leaving 15% who indicated that they shave less.
When it comes to remote work, technology is only a piece of the work-from-home puzzle. “In addition to providing a digital work space that has all of the tools and data a person needs, it’s essential to create a physical one that fits individual work styles,” Kimmel added. And the poll data shows employees are getting creative in doing so, as most are sharing space with others who have also been forced to work or learn from home.
In addition, 14% of office workers reported temporarily working from their second/vacation home, 13% at their parents’ or in-laws’ house and 5% are even sheltering in a hotel.
To accommodate the schedules of their new officemates and minimise distractions, respondents to the OnePoll measure said they have taken calls in unusual places their bedroom (33%) or their child’s room (25%),
bathroom (29%), garage(24%), closet (17%), attic (15%) and outside (14%).
Citrix commissioned OnePoll to conduct an online survey of 2,000 office workers in the United States who are currently working from home due to the Coronavirus pandemic. The research was completed between April 2 and April 14 2020.
