Remote work: Yay or nay?
Remote work has been a hot topic lately. The pandemic forced many to get used to working from home instead of at the office — but now, after the world has opened up again, many are being asked, or even forced, to go back to the office. Remote work can be a dividing topic, with many arguments both for and against it.
Reasons for returning to office work
Yle wrote this week that Elisa based their in-office mandates on fostering a community and company culture. Other organizations, such as Vaasan Yliopisto Executive Education, have also started to follow the rule of 4 office days a week. JLL found in their recent survey that the gap between employees and employers in their in-office work views is growing — employees wish to spend 1,7 days, whereas employers want their employees to spend 3,6 days at the office per week. The in-office mandates are often explained by the ability to learn, grow, and network at the office.
Darker reasons have also been identified for companies wanting to return to on-site work. According to Tivi, even though fostering communication, creativity, and productivity are reasons for returning to office work, the wish of some employees not agreeing to this and leaving the company instead can be a part of the picture. The big risk here is that some of the most vital employees also leave; to find a company that offers more flexibility.
Why remote or hybrid work is better
For many, remote work means the freedom and flexibility to work in a way that best suits them. The peace and quiet at home can help when there’s a need to focus — and, on the other hand, pausing work every once in a while to do some light housework can help deal with the hectic days.
During the summer, Helsingin Sanomat wrote about neurodivergence in the workplace. Diversity and the different needs of different people need to be taken into consideration, and the flexibility of remote working can be a big part of this. Even though one person thrives on the hustle and bustle of office work, another one can get overstimulated and anxious by the noise and the amount of people at the office. The ability to work from home can help for example neurodivergent people to work in a way that best suits the individual.
Marvel Consulting’s practices in remote and office work
We at Marvel Consulting do not have any mandates for in-office work. Some of our employees use the coworking office space we have, and some work fully remotely. We don’t force anybody to come to our office on specific days or spend a specific amount of time at our office. Our customers might have wishes for how often their consultant visits their office, and we take this into account on a case-by-case basis when searching for potential projects. We want to hear our consultants’ thoughts and wishes about this, so we can find a Marvelous Match: the best-suited project for the right consultant!
We want to offer our employees the opportunity to work in the way that suits them best, whether it be remote, hybrid, or on-site work. If working at the office every day or part of the time suits you best, great! We’ve got a great coworking office space you can use (Wednesdays are the best office days because then we have office yoga!). But, if virtual work is what’s best for your lifestyle, that’s totally ok, too — hopefully, we’ll see you at our annual summer and pre-holiday parties! If you’re looking for a new job or project in the IT sector, check out our careers page here. We’re flexible in more ways than just remote or on-site work: you can work with us as an employee or as a freelancer if that’s your preference.