Demotivation and burnout are emerging as two of the long-term dangers of working from home full time, according to a new report by Questionmark, the online assessment provider.

The report “Remote Working: from Surviving to Thriving” finds that nine-months into widespread full-time remote working, customers are no longer tolerating disruption. Staff expect their career development to be made a priority. But just as customers and staff are raising the bar, employers are having to confront the long-term challenges of managing a remote workforce.

The six long-term challenges of widespread remote working

1. Demotivation – an in-depth study by the Martec Group found that working from home during the COVID-19 crisis has reduced job motivation by 20%¹.
2. Burnout – a survey of US workers found that 69% of respondents were battling burnout symptoms.²
3. Insufficient training – in the early days of the crisis, workplace training was put on the back burner. Some employers have made more progress than others with getting it back on the agenda.
4. Lack of career development – a poll by Doodle found that 50% of workers believe their career development has stalled or gone backward during 2020.³
5. Less effective teamwork – organizational psychologists estimate that workers are missing out on a 10-15% productivity boost by not being able to engage organically with co-workers at the water cooler.⁴
6. Diminishing empathy and understanding – an annual study by BusinessSolver shows that workplace empathy has reduced during 2020.⁵

The decisions that leaders make about their people will be key to overcoming these challenges and ensuring the workforce can thrive.

Online staff assessments give employers real and reliable information that helps them make better people-related decisions.

By assessing the current skills of the workforce, managers can deliver meaningful career development reviews. They can tailor training plans and make good promotions and hires.

Lars Pedersen, CEO of Questionmark, said: “Most employers now believe that some working from home brings benefits. But working remotely full time creates challenges that employers must address.

“The decisions employers make about managing their people will be crucial to overcoming the long-term challenges of full-time remote working. Good people decisions will ensure that the team thrives during another year of uncertainty. Staff assessments can give employers the information they need to make good decisions around career development, recruitment, training and team structures.”

For more information download the full report: “Remote Working: from Surviving to Thriving.”