Single Blog

Remote working has its fair share of ups and downs. Some days it’s awesome — you don’t have to commute, you can drink all the coffee you want, and it’s comfortable too. On the flip side, remote working also has its downsides. There are a lot of challenges to overcome when working from home — isolation, pressure to work harder and faster, limited connection with your co-workers… the list goes on. These factors ultimately end up having a drastic impact on your productivity. 

However working remotely isn’t for everyone, but if you’re considering it, you should be prepared for the ups and downs. That being said, if you are looking to get into remote working, prepare yourself for the journey ahead with these tips. 

Make a dedicated office space 

Home is where the heart is. So if you’re working from home, the space you create to work in should be one that makes you happy and productive. Your home office should be a place where you can put all your attention into creating something spectacular. Whether that place is just the corner of the basement or your spare room, it doesn’t matter as long as you’re comfortable and excited to be there.

Make communication strategies

Your peers and manager should be aware of time schedule you follow. Less communication or miscommunication can lead to inefficient team output. Plan your day in advance, let everyone know about your unavailability in case of ad hoc commitments. 

Clear KPI definition 

If your role in the company of the assignment you are working on is not clear, if your responsibilities are vague, talk to your boss ASAP. You should be aware of the expectation your Team, your lead and your company have with you. Knowing that you did not perform on certain KPI at the time of appraisal is the certainly not good for either you or the organization. 

Set Working from Home Guidelines 

If you don’t live alone, be firm with your family or roommates about what you need from them to get your work done. Allow disruptions only in the event of an emergency. 

Separate work from your life 

This is because remote working often comes with the expectation that you’ll stay online even after your normal working hours, because of easy access to your workspace. Because of this, you end up intertwining both your personal and private lives. And most times, this leads to a major issue — burnout. It’s not uncommon for many remote workers to become burnt out, especially when they adopted a good work routine for themselves. 

That being said, it’s important to keep your Work and personal lives separate while working remotely. A great way to do so is to set an alarm at the end of the day to indicate your normal workday is coming to an end. You don’t necessarily have to stop at exactly that time, but knowing that your workday is over can help you start the process of saving your work and wrapping things up for the night. 

Set ground rules 

Unless your home is a distance-working goldmine, don’t expect it to be a utopia of productivity.  Even though you Work from home, there’s no guarantee you won’t have to deal with distractions. If you live with other people, you’ll have to learn how to Set boundaries, enforce quiet hours and make ground rules. Thus, it’s important to think about how you can make remote working a positive experience for everyone in the long run.  

With these in mind, let’s discuss the pros and cons of remote work. 

Pros of working remotely 

• Working from home has changed the way companies and employees perceive work culture, and there are many advantages to a remote working policy. 

Helps Save Time and Money

• Having employees work remotely has some fantastic time and cost-saving perks for your company. 
• Not paying for office space saves money for employers, and not having a daily commute saves employees time and money. It also reduces expenses such as equipment maintenance, utilities, and other overhead costs that would otherwise be applicable. 
• It also does away with additional time and costs associated with long-distance business travel and accommodation since most meetings happen over video calls in remote teams

Provides a Better Work-Life Balance 

• Remote work does away with the usual morning routine of getting ready for work and then commuting in jam-packed traffic. 
• Instead, employees can spend more time with their family and loved ones while also finding time to engage in new hobbies and interests.  
• It helps them maintain a healthy work-life balance, leading to happier employees.  
• What does this mean for your business?  
• When employees are happy, they’ll be more satisfied with their work.  
• As a result, they are most likely to stay with your company, making employee retention a breeze. You’ll also notice improved productivity levels in these employees. 

Boosts Employee Productivity 

When employees have a great work-life balance, it positively affects their overall productivity. 
Office spaces do seem productive, but they also contribute to many distractions. The tendency to take coffee breaks or get interrupted is far lesser at home. There are fewer distractions like watercooler chats, and since a remote job may offer flexible work hours, employees can meet deadlines feeling relaxed. Employees also tend to take lesser leaves since they don’t get as stressed or burnt out working from home.

Promotes Healthier Employee Lifestyles

• A work from home job benefits employees’ personal life and health. 
• Maintaining a nutritious diet and regular exercise can be difficult when you have the added constraint of traveling to work. And more often than not, having to buy takeout isn’t always the healthiest option. 
• On the other hand, planning out your workday and living healthier contributes generously to overall productivity. It also plays a vital role in decreasing the number of leaves employees would take. 
• Healthier employees also directly translate to reduced healthcare insurance costs for employers.

Allows You to Hire Better Talent Globally

• A remote working environment enables companies to hire full-time and part-time talent with almost no restrictions geographically. 
• Being able to hire talent from around in the world has many advantages, such as: 
  Diversification of your workforce and increased cultural literacy. 
• Various regional and cultural backgrounds help promote creativity and innovation.  
• The global reach helps promote brand recognition. 
  Improved quality of hiring. A diverse workforce’s perspectives and personalities will bring fresh approaches and values to your workplace.

Helps Maintain an Efficient Organizational Model

Telecommuting has pushed organizations to adopt a more horizontal approach to hierarchy when compared to the vertical process, which has been the norm for an office environment, Because meetings and other discussions happen over video conferencing, employees also learn to communicate efficiently to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings. The horizontal approach to an organization model allows for easier accessibility and communication between various employees of an organization irrespective of their position. Everyone feels equally essential, and it promotes efficient workflow.

Cons of Remote Working

• There is always a downside to something good. 
• Many disadvantages dismiss remote working as a viable option for many industries

Decreased Teamwork

A significant con of having your team split across various locations or even working remotely is decreased teamwork. A remote team may not be able to get in touch with each other as frequently. This can cause delays in deadlines, miscommunication, and frustration in general. A reduction in teamwork can also reduce employee engagement, affecting overall productivity.

Reduced Social Interaction

A home office or a remote setting with reduced interaction can lead to boredom and feelings of loneliness. Unlike in a physical office setting, coworkers can’t interact with each other casually, and even if they do, it’s usually for work.It can get frustrating and lead to burnouts, adversely affecting employee mental health.

Increased Need for Self-Discipline

An employee requires a high level of self-discipline when working remotely. A simple distraction can hinder productivity. 
Some of the most common distractions a remote employee faces are: 
Taking care of dependents. 
Household chores that overlap with office work timings. 
Constant notifications on social media. 
As an employer, it can be strenuous to ascertain whether an employee would meet company standards while working remotely, making the hiring process difficult.

Escalated Technological Dependency

Another disadvantage of moving to a remote working lifestyle is a significant reliance on technology. An internet connection issue at your home or remote working space can cause interruptions to work. If a component on your PC or laptop fails, you have to either drive to or get a technician to fix it, which could leave you out of work for a few days. 
Additionally, power outages can leave many people unable to work or even connect online. All of this can negatively impact the quality of work, attendance, and the ability to meet deadlines. In severe cases, this may also lead to employee termination.

Overloaded Management Responsibilities

While working from home sounds less hectic, you can expect some crucial challenges. Employees will have to learn to use technology and software they may not have used before. They’ll need to provide equipment and devices depending on the type of work, which can have significant logistical implications. Some departments, such as IT, may also face difficulties managing employees’ technical issues since most of these have to be resolved remotely.

Now that we’ve discussed the pros and cons of remote working, let’s look at how you can maintain a thriving remote working environment. 
After Covid-19 our team at TechFrolic became remote and most of us still remote and super productive!  We maintain coolest and supportive work environment by following the steps below: 

Trust Employees

One of the most important things we at TechFrolic do is trust each other.Most of the time, people can self-manage goals and tasks, so instead of polling for updates (which can often feel like a chore), use markers to track progress only when necessary. Trust smart people to know the best way to approach a problem and manage themselves.

Hear from Team Members on how they can be most productive

There’s no dispute that you have to establish procedures and expectations for your remote team members.  
But each individual circumstances are different, and they’re the ones who know how they work best and to get the job done.  
As such, it makes sense to get their input on steps that can be taken up to maximize their productivity. 

Celebrate Successes 

Clarify how you measure success and make sure the metrics focus not only on quality, time, and financial factors but also on personal well-being. When your team feels mentally, physically, and emotionally great, it will show in their overall performance. Then, find ways to celebrate success. When you celebrate, your body produces oxytocin and endorphins, which reduce stress and boost your immune system.

Maintain Social Interaction 

It’s a good idea to maintain social interaction between your employees to keep their spirits up. 
Organizing group video calls and virtual team-building exercises can be an excellent way to learn more about each other and keep employee interaction high. 
Employees can also use co-working spaces to stay socially active. 
Occasional meet-ups with employees living in the same city or area are also a healthy method of interaction.

Create Remote Team-Building Activities

In the same way that you can hold virtual meetings with your remote team, you can also do virtual team-building activities. Involve the team in coming up with the ideas. 

Be Flexible

One of the great things that people like about working remotely is the flexibility that this affords them. For instance, an employee may want to get her groceries at 11 am, when the shops are less busy, and then work an extra hour in the afternoon.  
We don’t care where work is done, or where, as long as it meets our standards and customers and other team members are not being inconvenienced by a lack of communication.

Create Structures

Productivity in any workplace depends on predictability and structures. It’s easy to disconnect when employees work in different locations. Mitigate this by creating team rhythm. There should be a clear timetable for meetings, and employees should know what different people are doing so that they have an idea of where they fit in the process. 
When creating this rhythm for remote employees working in different time zones, ensure that the burden of inconvenience does not fall on one member. Rotate meeting times so that the inconvenience of having a meeting either too late or too early in the day does not fall on one employee. 
It’s also important to create structure within meetings themselves, to keep them efficient and to the point. This keeps team members focused and purpose-driven to assist with productivity during meetings.

Wrapping Up 

• It’s clear that remote working offers some fantastic benefits, but it also has obvious downsides. 
• While newer businesses with modern infrastructure can cope with a remote workforce, traditional offices might not function remotely simply because they may not have the infrastructure to support them. 
• If you are considering a completely remote setup for your business, you can overcome most of the cons by keeping our best practices as a guideline to manage remote workers.