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The potential distractions of remote working were demonstrated in hilarious fashion this week during an interview for BBC news. During a live Skype interview with BBC News, Professor Robert Kelly, from Pusan National University, was talking about South Korean politics. But it wasn’t the interview that stole the limelight and sent it viral.
Link to video on BBC news:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-39232538
A small child wearing sunglasses strutted into the room amicably and, obviously curious about what her father was doing, went and sat next to him. Kelly continued to discuss matters, despite being notified by the presenter on the other line that a child had entered the room.
Just moments after the girl entered the room, another little child scuttled in via a baby stroller before his distressed wife ran in to save the day, escorting the children out of the room. Kelly, looking embarrassed, apologised for the chaos in the background, despite maintaining a professional manner throughout the interview.
He may have just been unfortunate with his timing, as a recent survey from CartridgePeople.com found that employees who work from home experience three times fewer distractions and disturbances during their working day. The survey found that 33% of office-based workers admitted that they experience an average of ten or more distractions during their working day.
Sinead Hasson, Managing Director and Founder of recruitment company Hasson Associates, has previously said that flexible working “is usually offered to accommodate family needs” but there are other reasons, which she outlined: “[It can also] be offered to relieve the pressure of a daily commute. “By offering it, employers are demonstrating empathy to the needs of their team which, in return, engenders loyalty and dedication. But it must be managed properly for the benefit of all.”
In fact, Dan Grant, Dell’s HR Director, believes it is so much more that a benefit. A study by Dell and Intel found that remote workers are the happiest subgroup of employees, and that 38% of British Millennials believe they do their best work outside the office.
He told us: “The future of work is not being co-located with your team members. I wouldn’t go as far as saying that the days of people being together are over, but it’s is picking up pace. Technology drives the ability for leaders and team members to come together virtually; that’s going to play a big role in the future and, ultimately, the focus on where people work is going to shift onto how they work. “I think for big companies going forward, there really is no excuse for not playing in this arena.”
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For full article on this issue on HR Grapevine, please follow this link: https://www.hrgrapevine.com/content/article/news-2017-03-14-honey-please-stop-the-kids-father-interrupted-by-children-during-live-bbc-interview