Work-from-home professionals still have a long way to go before they achieve professionalism in their online workspace.

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the global workforce like no other calamity. Millions of workers are forced to migrate to their online workspace for the first time in their professional life. AhaSlides, a presentation software company based in Singapore, conducts an ongoing survey of 2,000 remote workers to understand how we are adapting to a new way of life after the pandemic.

It is assumed that remote workers still have a long way to go to achieve professionalism in the online space. In particular, the study shows that professionals are very careless with their camera and microphone while in a video conference. Among their findings:

• 28.1%, or roughly one in three, of the correspondents say they have seen coworkers accidentally do or say something embarrassing in Zoom, Skype, or other video conference software.
• 11.1%, or one in nine, says they have seen coworkers accidentally show sensitive parts of their body in a video conference.

Dave Bui, CEO and co-founder of AhaSlides, said, “Remote working has become the new norm of our professional life. While video conferencing is getting more widespread, the etiquette for it is still lagging behind. Through this survey, we want to understand this gap of professionalism around Zoom, Skype and other video conferencing platforms.”

Furthermore, the survey shows that:

• 46.9% say they are less productive working from home.
• Among the obstacles to productivity, family members or housemates contribute to 62%, while technological issues contribute to 43%, followed by distraction at home (e.g. tv, phones, etc.) at 37%
• 71% say they watch YouTube or spend time on other social media while in a video conference.
• 33% say they play video games while in a video conference.

The truth is that when working from home, employers can’t really know if their employees are working or not. This could be an incentive for employees to procrastinate. However, while the common assumption is that remote workers are less productive compared to those who work in traditional office environments, a survey from Forbes shows a 47% increase in productivity for those working from home.

There are also concerns about a shift from the traditional workplace setting to working from home.

One of the casualties of the working-from-home culture is collaboration. Small talks and informal chatting are often necessary catalysts for new ideas to spark in the workplace. However, when you are on Zoom or Skype, there is no private space for coworkers to banter. Without a relaxed and open environment for colleagues to engage in conversations, collaboration will suffer. 

Another worry that remote workers often face is control issues. Employers are increasingly using spying and surveillance software to control the workflow of their employees. On the other end, developers are cashing in the burgeoning demand for these monitoring software. This exploitation, they say, leads to a working culture of ultra-micromanagement, mistrust, and fear.

While there are still many concerns for both employers and employees, Bui hopes that this survey would give employers an insight into the remote working culture, and adjust their expectations respectively.

To cast your vote on the survey, please follow the link: https://ahaslides.com/SURVEY2020

To see the full result: https://presenter.ahaslides.com/share/1589531446819-j0u1pqcyzz?presenting=true

AhaSlides was founded in 2019 in Singapore with a mission to eliminate dull meetings, boring classrooms, and any other tedious events with its interactive presentation and audience engagement products. AhaSlides is a fast growing company with more than 45,000 users in 185 countries, and has hosted 150,000 fun and engaging presentations. AhaSlides is preferred by professionals, educators, and hobbyists alike for its commitment to the most affordable price plans on the market, attentive customer support, and a productive experience.