Office Work Can Be Less Productive Than Work From Home - Above the Law

"Most of us within the legal profession remember when many law firms permitted attorneys and staff to work from home during the COVID-19 era. For the most part, working from home did not impact law firm operations, and indeed, many law firms realized record profits during the pandemic. In recent years, many law firms have mandated that employees return to offices, perhaps due to old-school notions of collaborations, or perhaps since they don't want their expensive office spaces to go unused."

"Many people need to commute significant distances to travel to and from work. Sometimes, even though an office is not located far away, it might take considerable time to commute to and from the workplace. When I was working as an associate at several law firms, I always worked within 10 miles of the office, but it usually took an hour or more to commute each way."

"Moreover, when people work in an office, significant time is often spent socializing around the workplace. This is usually a good thing, since socializing with co-workers is a great way to increase team cohesion and promote the culture of an office. However, socializing with can also take time away from being productive. I worked at several law firms in my career in which people spent an hour or more a day chatting with people around the office."

During the COVID-19 era many law firms permitted attorneys and staff to work from home and law firm operations were not negatively affected; many firms realized record profits. Recently many firms have mandated a return to offices, citing collaboration and concerns about unused office space. Managers often believe office time is more productive, but working from home can be more efficient. Long or time-consuming commutes consume hours that can be reclaimed when working from home. Office socializing builds cohesion and culture but can reduce productive time. Working from home generally reduces casual workplace socializing, freeing time for client work or personal tasks.

Read at Above the Law