PARP: Time saving is the main advantage of remote work according to 83% of finance employees
83% of employees of financial institutions indicate time savings as the greatest advantage of remote work, according to a survey by the Polish Agency for Enterprise Development (PARP) conducted by the University of Warsaw for the report of the Sectoral Council for Competences of the Financial Sector entitled "The future of work in the financial sector". 72% of respondents also indicate greater safety of working from home, while 57% appreciate flexible working hours the most.
Employees also point out the shortcomings of the work-from-home system. More than half of them complain of loosening ties with other team members (53%), 47% indicate the lack of a clear line between work and private life, and 42% struggle with feelings of isolation and loneliness, the report said.
"Our survey was conducted in October and November last year, but most conclusions remain valid. It is positive that some negative phenomena have been mitigated, and some opinions are evolving, e.g. the one concerning preferences for remote work, which is clearly growing over time. among employees of the financial sector "- said Mariola Szymańska, the animator of the Sectoral Council for Competences of the Financial Sector.
It turned out that a long-term home office has its advantages. In addition to saving time and a greater sense of security during a pandemic, among the advantages of such a solution, employees of financial institutions indicate the possibility of working also in the event of minor health problems (66%), where they would benefit from working in the office. Slightly more than half of the respondents (57%) believe that flexible working hours are a plus, while 43% of those asked indicated the possibility of spending more time with family and loved ones as the greatest advantages. work is more effective.
The report noted that at the beginning of the pandemic, employees had to equip their households with new appliances and digital devices. However, with time, this topic became less and less visible. One-third of the surveyed employees of the financial sector faced hardware problems or the need to share a computer with other household members (31%) in the first phase of the pandemic, and one in five respondents felt discomfort related to the lack of space to work effectively at home (21%).
Apart from the spatial and logistic difficulties resulting from the inability to find a comfortable space for effective work at home, one of the serious consequences of performing tasks at home, away from colleagues and supervisors, were also various psychological burdens that could affect the effectiveness of actions taken. 42% of respondents indicated a sense of isolation and loneliness, 8% lost motivation to work and complained about the lack of proper work organization. 36% of respondents were not satisfied with the necessity to combine work with caring for children and teaching them remotely.
"Combining work, home and caring responsibilities for children was a serious challenge for employees. Due to the specific situation of the pandemic, parents were able to use the help of their family, such as grandparents, to a limited extent" - emphasized Katarzyna Śledziewska, director of DELab UW.
In the fall of last year, only 16% of employees of financial institutions would agree to a complete transition to remote work after the end of the pandemic, and every tenth person (12% of respondents) could not imagine continuing to work from home. These statistics are evolving as the pandemic continues and, at the same time, as the process of improving solutions and remote working skills.
"The System of Sector Competence Councils was created to help companies acquire suitably qualified employees and improve their competences. Sector Councils are its most important component: they identify competency gaps in sectors and provide knowledge on this subject. Thanks to this, we know what training or consultancy we should need. They also support schools and universities in creating curricula and connecting them with entrepreneurs so that what they teach meets the needs of business as much as possible. the uprising was pursued by entrepreneurs, social partners and educational circles. The inspiration came from similar solutions operating in the Czech Republic and Great Britain "- explained Anna Bracik, the spokesman of PARP.
The study was conducted in October and November 2020. The activities of the Council are coordinated by PARP and the Competence Program Council, and the report was financed from EU funds, the Knowledge Education Development Program.
Source: ISBnews and PARP
