The good news about the work-for-home model: Both employees and employers seem to feel it’s working.
A recent survey of more than 1,000 professionals (both employees and managers) said their employee-manager relationship has stayed the same or gotten better. And, while 38% of employees felt their manager checked in too much, 16% said they felt their manager was micromanaging less than before.
The Paychex survey — which included approximately 700 employees and 300 managers — produced a number of interesting results. Here are some:
Employee results
Describe relationship between employee and manager?
- Stayed the same: 48%
- Better: 32%
- Worse: 20%
Note: Approximately half of the employees said they felt socially isolated — and approximately one-third said they went out of their way to get noticed.
Compare the time spent communicating with your manager?
- More: 27%
- Less: 33%
- Same: 40%
Note: Approximately two of every three employees felt they were getting honest feedback from their manager and that their manager was a good communicator.
How often do you meet with your manager (monthly)?
- Before: 10
- Now: 6
- Ideal: 7
What is the deal day/time to meet with your manager?
Day
- Monday: 34%
- Wednesday: 26%
- Tuesday: 17%
- Friday: 14%
- Thursday: 9%
Time
- 5-10 a.m.: 44%
- 10 a.m.-noon: 26%
- Noon-3:30 p.m.: 21%
- 3:30 p.m.-later: 9%
Note: No surprise, but Monday morning at 10 a.m. is considered the best time to meet.
Methodology
Paychex surveyed 1,005 professionals via Amazon Mechanical Turk. To qualify for the survey, respondents had to indicate that they’d switched from working in-office to working from home since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Of the 1,005 professionals polled, 700 were employees, and 305 identified as managers. The survey ran during June 2020.
Manager results
Describe your relationship with your employees?
- Same: 32%
- Better: 14%
- Worse: 54%
Note: Great majority of managers (83%) said they have more trust in employees they communicate with frequently.
How much of a priority is connectedness?
- Top priority: 40%
- Low priority: 17%
- Neither high nor low: 43%
