Remote work is not going anywhere. After multiple studies and reports, it appears that remote work is neither a trend nor an internet fad.
2019 State of Remote Work Report from Buffer that has a completely remote team interviewed over 2,500 remote workers and revealed the secrets and the benefits of remote work and what life and work are for those people who are remote workers.
It has been estimated that remote work is good not only when people are experienced professionals but also when people are early in their careers. 99 percent of them stated that they would love to have remote work for the rest of their careers.
Nowadays, the workforce wants freedom and flexibility. If one company can provide more freedom and flexibility for the workforce then the workforce would be satisfied and more productive at the same time. It is important to mention that a lot of professionals and knowledge economy workers want more flexibility and freedom as well. Let’s not forget the fact that the companies in the digital sector are struggling to find the perfect talent. They often do not find their talent within their country so they increase their search on an international scale.
A lot of stigmas are circling remote work despite the advantages that it brings. People usually think that remote workers are the less productive workers in society or see them as second class workers. Fortunately, the reality is the opposite.
The difference between working from home and remote work
Companies insist that staff should work in the same office and facility. They do not usually allow the staff to work remotely except for the field sales team due to the work they do. During this process, there are cases in which an employee asks to work from home. The reasons are infinite. For example, the employee might be unwell, a family member might be unwell, and the employee expects delivery or has something that should be repaired. In this case, the employee works from home due to special circumstances and this is called working from home.
Remote work, on the other hand, is a permanent setup for example home office. Here are some examples that describe remote work. An in-office with flexible policies is one perfect example. The second example is when a teammate decides to move so the team is remote. This one is a perfect example of how companies change to better keep the talent and the experience. The fully remote teams come in third place. For example, Buffer and Trello have remote policies and make everything easier and more productive.
Remote work: The changes
In the past, technology was just starting and was impossible for people to work remotely. The technology in the present, on the other hand, made it possible and 43 percent of the workforce spends at least some time working remotely.
There are over 600 companies in the world that allow working remotely and they indeed bring more productivity and attract talents from all over the world tells Matthew Hollingsworth, the Director of Operations at We Work Remotely.
Working remotely is, in fact, something that never stops growing and is not happening only in the tech world. Company owners from different fields try to find ways to implement this “technique” to compete and catch the best talent.
Does remote work motivate employers? Does remote work motivate employees? The answer to both questions is yes.
- Remote work not only brings flexibility but also that flexibility is continuously increasing. The remote workers focus better and work better and harder than ordinary office workers. Workers are creating their hours due to different time zones and schedules and according to Buffer 2019 State of Remote Work report, this is the main and most important advantage.
- Remote works improve the balance between life and work. Working in an office usually comes together with a lot of stress and stressful situations. The ability to work from home decreases this stress and improves the balance between work and life tells Iwo Szapar, CEO and co-founder of Remote- how. He also adds that this process brings an increased amount of positivity.
- Remote work brings higher productivity.
- Remote work brings lower costs. The owners are no longer obligated to pay for offices that have high rant nor pay for additional security, taxes, and utilities.
- Remote work brings higher employee engagement.
- Remote work makes employees stay with the same company for a long time.
Remote work has a lot of advantages but it has disadvantages are present as well. Unfortunately, a lot of limitations and pitfalls exist and companies should work on that to make it look flawless in the end.
Disadvantages of remote work:
Constant communication is necessary when remote work takes action but sometimes time zones, language barriers, cultural norms, and understandings disrupt it. Experts suggest- communication and removal of short messages and emails.
Staying focused is not easy and sometimes the home environment dazes employees. Experts suggest that managers should pay attention and watch out these slips and make team members remain focused.
Trust is another disadvantage – remote workers usually think that managers do not believe that they work as hard as office workers. This is the reason why they never turn off their phones and that they are always available outside of office hours.
The management process is also another disadvantage because some companies indeed have managers that do not treat their remote workers as equally as office workers. This is why a lot of remote workers leave the company and search for another job.
If remote workers do not have the required technology then they won’t succeed. Every manager should establish good tools, platforms, and facilities before launching remote policies.
Remote teams can flawlessly work. The steps are easily traceable.
When you work remotely you often feel alone because there are no colleagues around you. Change your environment and feel the difference. Go to a coffee shop or maybe a library. Increase your human interactions as much as you can. You can always call your colleagues on group chat as well. Keep up the good communication and use words via camera not only emails and messages.
Project management tools are invented to make sure every employee is on the same page and also make employees feel more productive. Also, communication tools are required.
To keep it simple remote work is here to stay and it is not going anywhere. Like every other thing in the world, remote work also requires care and in return, it gives companies millions of dollars and improvement. Keep it in mind that you must use different tools and techniques and pay attention to teams that work remotely more than those in office.
