As many businesses have moved to embrace a hybrid working culture, blending in-person and virtual work throughout the week, research has shed light on the challenges that employees face while working from home.

The New Art of Business report by RADA Business, a leading specialist in business transformation programmes, found that 35% of workers feel less productive when working from home, compared to when they are in the office.

Unsurprisingly, in the age of hybrid and virtual meetings, technical communication issues remain common place, with a third of workers (33%) saying they struggle with this. Techincal problems aren’t the only challenges of virtual calls – workers also reported being distracted by their own image (22%) and feeling self-conscious (19%) whilst using video conference lines.

In addition, internal communications suffer at the hands of home working, with 31% of employees citing communication with co-workers as a major challenge, compared to working together in an office.

This concern is even more prominent amongst business leaders – 39% of employers worry about workers reading or watching company communications in a timely fashion. Communication of company strategy was also revealed as a common challenge as 33% of employees say that they get a minimum of one annual company strategy update and 12% shockingly say that they never get such information from their employer.

For those living in smaller and shared housing, working from home can present a number of logistical problems too, as 30% of workers struggle with having no dedicated workspace and 19% state they have to share this workspace with others.

Yet, the research shows that many employees feel passionately about the advantages that working from home brings, with saving time (58%), saving money (54%), having more flexibility (50%) and spending more time with family (42%) commonly cited.

With all this in mind, many British workers are either extremely or very interested in making the shift to homeworking permanent or incorporating it as part of a hybrid approach, suggesting it may be business leaders who have greater concerns and difficulties working effectively in a virtual environment.

Simon Delaney, Tutor and Client Director at RADA Business, comments on the findings: “It’s clear there are significant benefits to working from home, and it is not surprising many people are choosing to blend this with time in the office. But a year and a half on from the first national lockdown, there remain some challenges, with communication being just one of the issues. Organisations, teams, and individuals are experiencing a steep learning curve in making hybrid working a success, and managing some of the unintended consequences.

“It can be hard, for example, to create an inclusive culture, and one that maintains the unique fingerprint of your organisation. Some may miss out on important conversations, or team catch-ups that take place spontaneously in the office. If you experience this, it’s important to make time and space to connect and be present within your team. That might involve scheduling more catch ups with colleagues, and speaking up constructively when there is a project you would like to be involved in.

“When attending a virtual call, make time to greet and acknowledge everyone individually. Something as simple as that can be the difference between forging open dialogue and not. In hybrid meetings, allow time for anybody joining virtually to be heard, and be sure to acknowledge their contributions.

“It’s also important to take time to centre yourself away from your screens. Breathing exercises, or even taking five minutes for some gentle stretches, can help you manage your energy and focus, and, ultimately, improve performance.”