Research: What Is the Assessment of Employee Productivity When Working Remotely?

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Working from home has now become commonplace, but these new conditions can have a significant impact on employee efficiency. For some, this has boosted productivity growth, while for others it has reduced productivity. In November 2021, ANCOR conducted a study to find out how work remotely affected the productivity of the Latvian population.

Almost 250 people took part in the survey. The majority of respondents were women (96%). By age group, the majority of respondents were aged 45-54 (59%), followed by 35-44 (27%). Another 7% of respondents were young people between the ages of 25 and 34, and people of pre-retirement age with the same percentage.

Has a day working remotely become longer than a day at the office? The survey revealed that the majority (45%) of the working day did not change, but 27% of the survey participants indicated that their remote working day had become 1-2 hours longer. In addition, a quarter of respondents noted that it had become more than 2 hours longer. On the other hand, when answering the question about how the workload has changed when working remotely, it was revealed that 50% of all survey participants have increased their workload. But the workload of 47% of the respondents has remained the same.

When assessing their productivity, the answers were very different among the respondents. Most indicated that labor productivity did not change when working remotely (39%). Almost the same number of respondents noted that labor productivity had increased (36%), but the lowest percentage of respondents noted that productivity had decreased (25%). 


In order to find out the impact of remote work on employee productivity, respondents were asked to indicate the extent to which they agreed with the following statements:

• It is difficult to disconnect from work when working remotely

The majority of respondents stated that they agree more than disagree with this statement (29%), but 23% stated the opposite - more disagree than agree. 20% of respondents fully agree, but 21% completely disagree. In general, it can be concluded that most people find it difficult to disconnect from work remotely.

• Lack of face-to-face cooperation and communication

34% of respondents fully agree with this statement, but 23% more agree than disagree. However, most of them lack contact with colleagues while working in the office, but 14% of respondents, noting that they completely disagree with the statement, still prefer to communicate remotely.

• There are many distractions at home

The majority (29%) disagree more than agree with this statement, but 23% strongly disagree, as are respondents who agree more than disagree. However, 18% of all respondents are significantly affected by distractions that distract them from work at home.

• It's hard to stay motivated when working remotely

Most respondents stated that they completely disagree with the statement that it is difficult to stay motivated (39%), 20% disagree more than agree, and 18% agree more than disagree. However, for a relatively large part the motivation has not changed (16%).

• It's hard to find a convenient place to work at home

34% completely disagree with this statement. 25% more agree, but 23% fully agree that it is more difficult to find a comfortable place to work at home, which shows that most are still unable to find a comfortable place to work from home.

• Mental, physical and mental health has improved

Most respondents disagree more than agree that their mental, physical and mental health has improved through remote work (25%). In turn, 21% of respondents fully agree with this statement, but 18% more agree.

• It is difficult to balance work and private life

The majority (25%) said they fully agreed with this statement. By contrast, 21% say they no longer agree or strongly disagree with the easy balance between work and private life.


Responding to the factors that may contribute to the increase in labor productivity, the respondents noted:

• Additional amenities provided by the employer (new, high-quality technologies, etc.) (45%);
• Training on time and work planning (7%);
• Flexible work schedule (60%);
• Motivation promotion measures (29%);
• Regular supervision of work (5%);
• Regular communication and remote meetings with colleagues (40%);
• Periodic interviews with the employer (20%);
• Separate room for work at home (54%).

When choosing the answer “other”, the respondents commented that the increase in productivity depends on each person individually - if there is a high sense of responsibility, then no additional motivators are needed. On the other hand, one respondent pointed out that "remote work will never be as productive as work in the office".

According to the results of the survey, it can be concluded that the most important factors that can promote the increase of productivity among Latvians are a flexible work schedule, a separate room for work at home and additional amenities.