According to ADP Research Institute, it took about four weeks for employees to adapted to the "new normal", and stress levela stopped getting worse week-to-week. (Photo: Shutterstock)

The COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting "stay at home" orders has forced many workers to work remotely — or at least try to. A new survey from the ADP Research Institute (ADPRI) reveals that workers have struggled with working remotely and productivity has suffered. (ADPRI conducted a weekly survey over the eight-week period beginning March 16 of a random sample of persons over 18 years old who were employed as of March 1.)

The fall in productivity was caused by several factors, the survey found.

"Fifty percent of workers currently employed cited technology as a significant obstacle to productivity," comments Ahu Yildirmaz, co-head of ADPRI. "Twenty percent of those workers attribute[ed] issues with internet connectivity," she adds.