BusinessBartlebyWorking hard for the moneyA new study questions the effectiveness of remote workingThe return to the office is well under way, just as summer in the northern hemisphere begins.Pretty soon, people will be able to resume the habit of staring wistfully out of the window, hoping it will still be sunny at the weekend.As many workers embrace a hybrid pattern, perhaps commuting 2-3 days a week, the experiment in full-time home-working is ending.At the same time, assessments of its effectiveness are proliferating.Early surveys of employees and employers found that remote work did not reduce productivity.But a new study of more than 10,000 employees at an Asian technology company between April 2019 and August 2020 paints a different picture.The firm uses software installed on employees’ computers that tracked which applications or websites were active, and whether the employee was using the keyboard or a mouse. (Shopping online didn’t count.)The research certainly concluded that the employees were working hard.Total hours worked were 30% higher than before the pandemic, including an 18% increase in working outside normal hours.
