'It's nice to work from home, who wants to go to the office, right?'
A survey conducted by Microsoft Corp sparked a debate about employee productivity when the option of working from home (work from home or WFH) became a trend.
The study asked more than 20,000 Microsoft employees in 11 countries about their opinions about work productivity during WFH.
As a result, 87% of employees say they are more productive during WFH while 80% of employers disagree.
Microsoft's Chief Executive, Satya Nadella, commented that the company did not expect the results but should be aware of the fact that more than 80% of individuals feel they are more productive during WFH.
Like to be reminded that the WFH option started gaining popularity when the spread of Covid-19 hit the world in 2020.
Travel restrictions that force the world's population to sit at home while continuing business activities have made most companies choose WFH to facilitate their employees.
Returning to the original story, the new findings indirectly also sparked a debate about the need to return to the office to work.
Ryan Roslansky, the head of Microsoft's Linkedin, added that the findings are worrying for employers who have to keep up with the current changes in work patterns.
He even clarified that the rate for those who choose WFH on the Linkedin site increased from 2% to 20% in these few months.
And although Microsoft seems to have successfully adapted the WFH option, other companies such as Apple and Tesla are forcing their employees to return to work in the office.
In the meantime, the United States (US) Department of Labor found that the number of people claiming unemployment benefits increased.
It is understood that initial claims for unemployment benefits rose by 5,000 to 213,00 but were still below the revised projection of 220,000.
Overall, this may increase the debate on the choice of WFH between employers and employees.
