Do you agree with Elon Musk that working from home is morally dubious?

A lot of big companies are focused on getting employees back into the office because productivity is lower at home.

Dr Libby Sander – an acknowledged expert on the future of work – suggests that instead of focusing solely on the workplace we instead need to shift our attention to creating the work states that will enable us to be at our best.

These three psychological responses to the physical workplace are interesting…

1. Focus – a cognitive response allowing us to think and concentrate to complete our work.
2. A sense of beauty – an emotional response.
3. Connectedness – a relational response, creating a sense of community and a feeling of belonging to the organisation.

A study by Prodscore – an employee productivity monitoring solution – found that if an employee slacked off at the office, they’ll do the same a home.

So, the question should be “how can we create a workspace that will encourage productivity?”

LinkedIn have redesigned their San Francisco office with 75 different types of work settings. There are work areas for quiet focus without interruptions, outdoor workplaces, cafe areas, meeting rooms with or without tables to alter the power dynamics and a range of others in between.

People want to want to work in different environments throughout the week in order to fulfil different requirements.

So, whether you offer 100% remote working, 100% office working or something in between. It is important to make sure that employees have access to different types of workspaces in order to achieve maximum productivity.

Are your companies taking a similar approach? It would be great to hear your experiences and share ideas between organisations. Drop me an email to discuss.