The productivity gains possible from mobile and remote working may be desirable to employers, but in some instances there may be a price to pay.
When office workers take advantage of home working options, their bosses inevitably lose a certain degree of control over their staff.
And based upon the findings of a new study, this is encouraging some workers to get into ‘bad’ habits – particularly where dress is concerned.
A study conducted by Wakefield Research on behalf of Citrix found that 25 per cent of people who work from home do so in their pyjamas.
And seven per cent claimed to only wear their underwear – or nothing at all.
Whether or not this has any impact on the performance of employees is debatable – but some critics believe that dressing appropriately for work helps get people into the right state of mind.
Realistically, bosses can have no control over what people wear when they work remotely, and few would wish to intervene in any case.
The only time an employer may wish to speak to home workers about their choices is if there is a noticeable fall in the volume or quality of work.
So if employees who work in their pyjamas are partial to slipping off upstairs for a two-hour nap in the middle of the day, it may become a concern for their boss.
But otherwise, employers are unlikely to discuss the home set-up of remote workers – instead trusting them to maintain the usual standard of performance.
Should this fall away, the employee is likely to be summoned back into the office fairly quickly.
And then they will have to wear a suit, or their normal work clothing, whether they like it or not.
