Mobile networks saying goodbye to work from home in South Africa

South Africa’s major telcos are slowly asking employees to return to the office, especially those in tech and client-facing roles.

Following Amazon’s decision to recall its hybrid working policy, MyBroadband contacted South Africa’s mobile networks to find out what their remote work policies are and whether they were a success.

Because of the Covid-19 pandemic, all businesses except those deemed essential were forced to adopt a remote working policy where employees worked from home.

As the national lockdown dragged on, these work policies became more permanent.

According to a survey conducted by PageGroup, roughly 63% of South African-based professionals said that their productivity increased while working from home, compared to 31% who said their productivity remained the same.

South Africans also didn’t seem to be low on motivation. Fifty per cent said they felt even more motivated, while 41% said nothing had changed.

Because of these positive adjustments to remote working, many companies kept their work-from-home policies or shifted to hybrid work once lockdown restrictions were lifted.

A hybrid working policy allows employees to work remotely, however requires them to be in the office for a certain number of days.

This was reflected in the PageGroup survey which showed that 83% of respondents expected one of the most significant outcomes of the pandemic to be that companies implement flexible working policies.

This saw employees work part of the workweek in the office and part of the time remotely.

Telkom told MyBroadband that it adopted a hybrid work policy in September 2022, allowing employees to work at home on Monday and Friday and in the office from Tuesday to Thursday.

However, this does not apply to employees working in the company’s technical field or client-facing roles, who must be in the office full-time.

Telkom said this hybrid work policy creates a balance for employees. In-office days allow for collaboration and problem-solving, whereas work-from-home days allow for deep, focused work.

OfferZen co-founder Brett Jones predicted that, in 2025, software developers will also be spending more time in the office because companies are seeking pro-hybrid candidates.

This could be for the same reason Telkom requires in-office days: increased collaboration.

It said that providing flexibility to suit employees’ needs is part of its employee value proposition.

Regardless of this, tech teams are still required to spend all working hours in the office.

MTN has a similar work policy, which, when implemented during Covid-19, allowed employees to work from home except for one day when they had to be in the office.

However, the company said it changed this at the beginning of the year, requiring employees to come into the office for one, three, or four days a week, depending on the level of engagement needed for their role.

On the other hand, Cell C employs what it calls a flexible working guideline, which it recently introduced to accommodate diverse employee needs, promote inclusivity, and a healthy work-life balance.

The mobile operator told MyBroadband that, rather than having an official hybrid working policy, it allows its employees to request flexitime, remote work, or time off for a limited period.

Flexitime allows employees to adjust their work schedules to better accommodate personal commitments, and time off is the ability to limit periods off to address personal needs.

Cell C said it is also busy piloting an unlimited leave benefit for its executives, which, if successful, will be extended to the rest of its employees.

The mobile operator said this model tends to its employees’ needs for flexibility without compromising their performance.