Working from home as a young professional, what are the upsides and downsides compared to senior employees?

Working from home has become increasingly common in recent years, and the COVID-19 pandemic has only accelerated this trend. While there are many benefits to working from home for both employers and employees, it can be especially challenging for younger professionals. In this blog post, I will explore the pros and cons of working from home and offer suggestions for mitigating the negative effects on young professionals. 

Productivity when working from home as a young professional

Working from home offers many benefits for employees, but these benefits may be more difficult for junior employees to take advantage of. One of the most significant advantages of working from home is increased productivity. Employees are generally less distracted at home than at the office and, therefore, get more work done. However, young professionals may find it harder to work from home because they do not have the skills, knowledge, and network to work effectively. When working from home, the barriers to asking a colleague for help are greater than at the office, leading to less teamwork and reduced productivity. In addition, young professionals often do not have as big of a network as more senior employees, making it difficult for them to know who to turn to when faced with a challenging task.

To address these potential downsides, it is important to take several steps. First, junior employees should be assigned a coach or buddy they can contact with questions during office hours. It is vital to clarify that the coachee can reach out to their buddy with any question because the barrier to asking for help should be as low as possible. To further promote collaboration, periodic meetings can be scheduled, either digitally or in person. The focus of these meetings should be on what each colleague is working on and how others can help. This can also help to lower the barrier to reaching out to others. Finally, networking events should be scheduled. In addition to traditional networking events, an organisation can also perform a network analysis, in which each employee writes down the people they reach out to with different questions and challenges. This information can then be shared with the young professional to help them schedule further meetings.

Working from home and social support

Social support is a crucial aspect of the work environment that enables employees to meet job demands sustainably (Allen et al., 2015). It provides a source of energy and can predict the amount of psychological burden of disease (Volksgezondheidenzorg.info, 2015). Feedback is an important form of social support, particularly for young professionals with temporary contracts and less job security. When they receive little feedback, they may feel that they are not doing a good job, which can reinforce feelings of insecurity and cause a stress response that negatively affects their mental health (Hooftman, Lisa, & Wielers, 2020).

The physical workplace is an important setting for social support and its exchange (Golan, Bacharach & Bamberger, 2009), but when employees work from home, there is less opportunity for face-to-face interactions, compliments, advice, coaching, and other forms of social contact. Although digital communication can provide some social support, the threshold for reaching out to colleagues is often higher (Cleavenger & Munyon, 2014). In addition, physical contact is essential for maintaining relationships with colleagues (Allen et al., 2015; Golden & Raghuram, 2009). This can create a negative feedback loop, where colleagues exchange less and less social support, leading to a decline in morale and productivity.

To prevent this negative feedback loop, employers should consider implementing regular team-building activities, such as full-day programs, team lunches, or sports breaks. Another effective way to improve social support is through a buddy program, where junior employees are assigned a mentor or coach to whom they can reach out with any questions or concerns. However, policies for social support should never be imposed; it is important to consult with employees to understand what they need and want to create a supportive work environment.

References

Allen, T. D., Golden, T. D., & Shockley, K. M. (2015). How Effective Is Telecommuting? Assessing the Status of Our Scientific Findings. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 16(2), 40–68. https://doi.org/10.1177/1529100615593273

Cleavenger, D., & Munyon, T. (2015). Overcoming the help-seeker’s dilemma: How computer-mediated systems encourage employee help- seeking initiation. Organization Studies, 36, 221–240. http://dx.doi.org/ 10.1177/0170840614556920

Golan, M., Bacharach, Y., & Bamberger, P. (2010). Peer assistance programs in the workplace. In J. Houdmont & S. Leka (Eds.), Contempo- rary occupational health psychology: Global perspectives on research and practice (Vol. 1, pp. 169–187). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/9780470661550.ch9

Golden, T. D., & Raghuram, S. (2010). Teleworker knowledge sharing and the role of altered relational and technological interactions. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 31(8), 1061–1085. doi:10.1002/job.652

Volksgezondheidenzorg.info. (2015). Arbeidsomstandigheden, cijfers en context, oorzaken en gevolgen. Online: https://www.volksgezondheidenzorg.info/onderwerp/arbeidsomstandigheden/cijfers-context/oorzaken-en-gevolgen#bron–node-tabel-bronnen-bij-de-cijfers-over-arbeidsomstandigheden

Wielers, R., Hummel, L., & Hooftman, W. (2020). Jongeren, loopbaanperspectief en burn-outklachten. Tijdschrift voor Arbeidsvraagstukken, (36)1, 59-76. Wijnants, N. (2020). Twintigerstwijfels en dertigersdilemma’s (4). Amsterdam, Nederland: Prometheus

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