The pros and cons of working remotely: How to thrive at home

This usually depends on the legislation of the provider’s country of registration. Do not believe the statements about the no-logging policy on the provider’s website, always additionally check its privacy policy. When developing a cybersecurity policy do not forget to provide employees with a “blameless” method of reporting potential risks to ensure that employees report any suspicions without fear of judgment.

• Cappelli notes that social relationships are “the single most important factor” keeping workers at an organization.
• The lack of control over remote employees in cybersecurity and their lack of awareness of the importance of security measures cause most of the problems.
• When you work at home and have no plans, it’s easy to just think “okay, I’ll work longer hours because I have nothing better to do in any case”.
• The disappointing statistics force us to look once again at cybersecurity challenges and think about ways to mitigate them.
• Your surroundings have a great influence on productivity, so don’t underestimate them in your decision-making.

So, before you jump in to take the final call, you should take a good look at how companies benefit when employees work remotely discussed in the next section. And honestly, remote work is a great way to avoid daily commuting and accomplish your office tasks in the workplace of your choice. The 2020 global pandemic has made remote work more popular than anyone could have ever imagined. Today, both organizations and professionals all over the globe are taking this work arrangement quite seriously.

Working Women

Then, we’ll discuss five best practices to maintain a healthy remote working environment. From flexible schedules to access to a broader talent pool, remote working offers several benefits to employees and employers alike. However, it also comes with particular challenges like decreased collaboration, employee isolation, etc.

If you’ve ever had to hire someone, you know how difficult it may be to find the right person who would meet the requirements and would be a fit for the team. When you are not limited to a specific location, the hiring process becomes a much more interesting game. Software developers have little trouble switching to working remote, but it can be much more difficult if you work in banking or, let’s say, as a barista. It will be much easier if you start using remote team collaboration software. Not all new hires will work out, and not all existing employees will thrive in a remote environment, but if you look for people that are organized, self-motivated, and disciplined, you’ll be able to mitigate this. For all these significant benefits there are several negatives of remote work that both employees and their organizations are coping with.

Guru vs. Handshake

Consider all the benefits of a remote or hybrid working model, but don’t forget to look at the darker side, too. Being unable to disconnect can increase stress and other health problems for remote workers. One study found that 41% of remote workers felt stressed compared to only 25% of those who continued to work in the office. Of the same group, 42% had trouble sleeping, while only 29% of office workers reported the same.

• This has also contributed to increased attendance, since meetings do not have to work around travel plans and commuting schedules.
• Google Workspace (Google Docs, Sheets, and Drive) is a good solution to file management.
• Hiring multiple freelancers can get tricky to manage, so you can assign other team members in your organization to freelancers, so they can keep track of their assigned freelancers’ work.
• Post-pandemic, this has resulted in a major shift in working practice, with many feeling the balance of power has shifted from employers to employees.
• After selecting the Freelancer, you’re taken to their WorkRoom where, on the left side, you see a navigation bar with an option for Agreements.

The trend of using personal devices for work appeared long before the era of remote work and was called Bring Your Own Device. Companies have adopted it to save money on purchasing equipment and due to the higher employee productivity when working with personal devices. In a traditional office environment, establishing connections with other teams and departments can feel daunting or time-consuming, and many employees don’t bother. Remote work promotes cross-collaboration by removing most of the boundaries between teams that employees typically feel in a physical office. The traditional in-person work environment limits the talent pool that hiring managers can pick from and hurts diversity.

Communication and collaboration are limited.

One has to rely heavily on technology such as video calling or instant messaging tools to get in touch with a virtual subordinate. Of course, there are a lot of other remote work tools available but nothing like speaking in person. At times, miscommunication takes place quite often, when working from a remote place, as there are gaps in things being conveyed and the ones being grasped. In an office setting, it is much easier to approach someone in person, than to ping them for availability.

In addition to eliminating some distractions at work, remote work introduces a new set of distractions at home. It is easy to be distracted from work tasks by household chores, family members, or other personal obligations. To bridge this gap and ensure effective team collaboration, you must implement effective communication strategies and utilize virtual meeting software and project management platforms. According to Tracking Happiness, employees who are able to work remotely are 20% more satisfied with their jobs. Working remotely often leads to greater satisfaction than working in an office. It’s because they have more flexibility, autonomy, and a better balance between work and life.

The number of downtown clothing stores fell 8 percent from late 2019 to late 2021, according to a study using transaction data from 70 million Chase Bank customers. General goods stores in downtowns — including anything from department stores to florists to booksellers — fell 7 percent, and grocery stores declined 2 percent. A traditional employee is expected to work from office 8-9 hours a day, every week.