A majority of South African IT workers prefer to work remotely than from the office, a new study has found — although it is a slim majority.

The report by IT security company Kaspersky has found that, despite an increase in workload in the past 18 months, people who work in IT in South Africa “feel more comfortable” working remotely.

Kaspersky surveyed 4 303 IT workers, with 57% reporting an increased workload since switching to remote working. Almost a quarter (24%) described the workload increase as significant. About 23% did not notice a change in volume, and far fewer noted a decrease in the scope of work due to new working conditions.

“At the beginning of lockdown, 82% of managers were concerned that the rapid transfer to telework would lead to a decrease in productivity, and 69% of workers claimed that remote work negatively affected their emotional state,” the company said on Wednesday.

“But even though the survey reveals that more than half of employees experienced an increase in workload, 53% of those surveyed did not feel any more exhausted at the end of a remote day. Indeed, 38% reported having more energy working from home, and 16% did not notice a difference between the two formats,” Kaspersky said.

A significant 47% of respondents said they felt more tired and 26% reported having greater anxiety working from home

“When it came to emotional stability, the remote format was well-received by employees: 74% reported feeling more comfortable working remotely or did not notice an increase in anxiety due to overtime, while 55% of respondents even felt more comfortable working from home.”

But not everyone is happy about remote work. A significant 47% of respondents said they felt more tired and 26% reported having greater anxiety working from home.

“One solution that’s proving popular among employees is the hybrid working model,” the company said. More than half of IT workers have reported switching to a hybrid off office and remote work since mid-2021. — © 2021 NewsCentral Media