Story at a glance
- Compared with their in-person colleagues, more remote and hybrid employees said their teams’ performances have improved throughout the pandemic.
- Survey findings from Eagle Hill Consulting represent a national sample of U.S. adults.
- The data come as more corporations are weighing return-to-office policies.
As several companies eye returning to in-person work full time, employees are voicing their concerns about the decision, and many are reporting that their performance has improved since working from home over the past two years.
Data published today show 45 percent of remote workers feel team performance has improved since 2020, compared with just 34 percent of in-person workers.
The new insights come from Eagle Hill Consulting’s 2022 Performance Management and Feedback survey which was conducted May 10-12 by Ipsos. All 1001 adults surveyed were employed full time or part time.
On an individual level, half of remote respondents said their personal performance improved in the past two years, compared with 49 percent of hybrid and 45 percent of in-person workers.
The data indicate remote and hybrid work approaches are successful, said Eagle Hill Consulting president and CEO Melissa Jezior.
“Employees have been telling us for years that they want more flexibility and the ability to work remotely,” Jezior said in a release. “The pandemic forced the issue for employers, and now a large share of remote and hybrid employees indicate that their performance has improved, more so than in-person workers.”
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Nearly all remote and in-person workers surveyed reported their manager trusts them to complete their work (96 percent for each group), with 90 percent of hybrid employees reporting the same.
However, employees did report feeling more pressure to perform well at their jobs since the pandemic began. Nearly three-quarters of hybrid workers said they felt more pressure compared with 67 percent of in-person workers and 56 percent of remote workers.
Each group reported similar rates of feeling more supported by their supervisor and of receiving recognition for good work.
With regard to challenges, both in-person and remote workers reported sharing information as their biggest hurdle to performance.
An additional study published in April 2022 found virtual work may also stymie creativity.
“While employees have felt more pressure to perform well, workers are feeling supported and recognized,” Jezior said. “The challenge going forward for employers will be to sustain the positives that have emerged during the pandemic while finding new ways to manage employee performance as the future of work solidifies, be it working remotely or with a hybrid approach.”
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