Rethinking where and how we work

Written by Hannes Astok, Executive Director at eGA

The debate between working from home and working in the office has become very black-and-white. As if we had to choose one or the other. Advocates and opponents of both approaches naturally have a whole range of arguments to support their case, but perhaps we should instead ask employees where they are most effective.

At eGA, we are quite flexible, because an international consultancy with a hundred employees could hardly operate otherwise.

First, we should talk about remote work, not just working from home. Our people travel a lot for work, and in addition to the tasks related to a particular assignment, they inevitably have to deal with issues concerning other projects as well. So, it is essential that digital tools allow you to work securely and effectively wherever an internet connection is available. This means that you should be able to work equally well in the office, at home, or in a hotel room.

Second, every employee clearly has a different model of effectiveness. Some people are most productive early in the morning, others get their best ideas during a long daytime walk with the dog, while others generate brilliant ideas after midnight.

Our principle is that you need to be available during working hours when necessary, but where you are available from is not something we are particularly concerned about. This also allows our people to live peacefully in rural areas without compromising the quality of their work or burning through a tank of petrol every day. And we have people who do not live in Estonia, for whom remote work is the only practical solution.

Third, people’s circumstances and ability to work effectively from home vary. One person can shut out all the surrounding noise even at the corner of the kitchen table, while another cannot escape the pressure of household chores even behind the closed door of a home office. But the same can be true in the office. If you need to write an in-depth analysis, but a colleague comes by every five minutes wanting to ask something, that analysis will never get finished.

Fourth, we believe that human beings are social creatures. That is why our different teams usually meet in the office once a week, because many questions get answered much faster face-to-face. One minute of face-to-face conversation can replace ten-metre-long emails. And the risk of becoming isolated when working only from home is very real.

Opponents of working from home often argue that remote workers may steal working time. My experience suggests that someone working from home can just as easily find themselves putting in 12-hour days without even noticing, because the office routine no longer structures their workday. So sometimes we have to hold remote workers back to make sure they do not overwork themselves and burn out.

The workers who took their places on the assembly line in Detroit in 1913 to build the Ford Model T could hardly have dreamed of working from home. The hardworking men and women who assemble our cars for us 113 years later do not have that option either. But if we have the opportunity within our organisation to find a balanced solution for each individual between office and remote work, then it is our responsibility to do so.