Who’s winning at work from home? Survey finds women are better remote communicators than men

All employees have been challenged by the transition to remote work, but men seem to be having a harder time adjusting to life outside of the office.

A quarter of men say they are struggling with remote communication, compared to 17% of women, according to a new survey by Flexjobs, a job posting platform. Men also feel they have missed out on more job opportunities than women and their collaboration skills have suffered more as a result of telework.

Read more: 14 things that will keep employees happy during COVID

“The truth is that every individual can find different parts of the virtual work environment challenging,” says Brie Reynolds, career development manager at FlexJobs. “It's vitally important that managers and HR leadership have strong processes in place to check on and support their employees.”

Women have more enthusiastically embraced remote work, with 80% saying the ability to work from home is a top priority for them going forward, compared to 69% of men who said the same. Women say a lack of commute, better work-life balance and avoiding office politics were the top draws to working from home. Men listed greater meeting efficiency, a lack of commute and cost savings as top benefits.

However, remote work has not been without its challenges for both genders. Working parents especially have dealt with increased stress and employees have continued to deal with high levels of stress and burnout due to overwork.

Read more: 3 strategies to reduce burnout on your team

Employers must address all of these challenges with empathy and an understanding that each employee’s experience is unique, says Amber Clayton, Society for Human Resource Management Knowledge Center director.

“Many people are going through a challenging time so be empathetic to their situations and make accommodations where you can,” she says. “Talk to your employees regularly — communication is key during these difficult times.”