Working from home offers many advantages, yet also presents its own set of difficulties.
One of the greatest challenges lies in creating a work-life balance. If your professional and personal life become mixed up, this could severely disrupt productivity levels.
Technology
Thanks to modern technology, more people than ever before are working from home – both employees and employers benefit. For instance, it reduces office space needs while offering more eco-friendly alternatives.
Working from home can reduce office supply needs and give employees more time to complete their tasks. Furthermore, working from home has also been shown to boost employee morale and productivity.
Technology used for remote work depends on the job at hand and type of task being accomplished; options include laptops, computers and desk phones as well as apps designed to keep in contact with colleagues.
Remote workers requiring access to workplace resources require a high-speed internet connection in order to do their work effectively and access any needed files remotely. More advanced remote workers may require a video conferencing system in order to stay in contact with colleagues from anywhere around the globe.
Another key benefit of remote work is its ability to save employees on commute costs, giving them more time in their day to be more productive.
Work from Anywhere Worldwide allows your company to access a wider talent pool and hire skilled employees from around the globe, which is especially advantageous when looking to expand internationally.
Remote workers have another opportunity to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by cutting back on their commute to and from work, thus significantly lowering their carbon footprint and helping mitigate climate change.
Not only can remote workers reap benefits from working remotely, they may be more effective if they can communicate and collaborate effectively with their team and coworkers. For this to occur, certain equipment such as desk phones and headsets as well as computers or laptops with appropriate software might be necessary to achieve productivity in this environment.
Communication
Communication is an integral element of any team, but particularly so when working remotely. Establishing clear rules for communicating within remote teams to ensure everyone knows exactly what is expected from them and how their work will be assessed.
One reason that companies opt to have their employees work from home is its potential cost-cutting and life-balancing effects, saving both time and money while offering employees more work/life balance.
Working from home does come with its own set of challenges. Chief among these is communication difficulties between employees; this lack of interaction could wreak havoc on productivity, morale and the success of your business.
Studies from MIT Sloan Management Review reveal that remote workers tend to share less information with each other than office-based counterparts due to not having as many opportunities to discuss ideas with coworkers, hear other employees’ perspectives on projects or engage in conversations that help solve issues.
Another major drawback of remote communication is its potential to lead to misinterpretations of punctuation marks; even minor misreadings could alter the outcome of team projects.
Working from home can be an excellent way to increase productivity, but employers need to take precautions against miscommunication and stagnant work environments. They can start by setting clear expectations regarding communication styles among staff members as well as implement time tracking tools that monitor employees’ working hours and time spent on different tasks.
These tools also enable managers to monitor how much time employees devote to various projects, identify when employees are having difficulty with their work and offer suggestions to enhance it – thus improving performance, morale and reducing employee turnover.
Working from home offers many other advantages, but one of its primary benefits is improving overall health and wellbeing. Studies have demonstrated how telecommuting can lower stress levels while simultaneously increasing productivity levels and decreasing risk for depression in some cases.
Flexibility
Flexibility in work from home arrangements is integral to maintaining a positive workplace culture, enabling employees to manage their workload as best suits their personal and company objectives, meeting clients’ demands while meeting company goals.
Flexibility has many advantages for employees that extend far beyond reducing employee burnout, improving work-life balance and increasing productivity. Flexibility may even help protect them against injury by maintaining healthy bodies and decreasing repetitive motion injuries.
Recently, flexible working arrangements have grown increasingly popular with employees. A McKinsey survey discovered that 87% of American workers would accept a job if it provided them with the option to work flexibly.
Employers are currently struggling to meet employee demand for workplace flexibility. Companies like Disney and Twitter, among many others, have begun pushing back against this trend by requiring employees to come in on certain days per week.
While this shift may not be bad, there remains some controversy regarding it. Some employers have been criticised for permitting flexible work from home arrangements without creating an official structure for it.
As has been noted, another concern that has been identified is a lack of communication and support. Communicating effectively with colleagues and managers while working remotely is crucial for an enjoyable work from home experience; however, this can prove challenging if primary means of communicating are messaging platforms and virtual meetings.
However, these tools can sometimes make it challenging to address issues that arise throughout the day and blur the boundaries between work and life.
As such, it’s crucial to establish strong communication protocols and an audit trail system in place with any remote worker to ensure work is completed accurately and on schedule.
Although technology options exist to ease this transition, a key obstacle for many companies lies in their management’s failure to address change management and mindset issues. A company leader must listen carefully to staff concerns while challenging existing policies while looking for ways to integrate truly flexible working arrangements into the workplace.
Community
Remote working can be an incredibly productive endeavor, yet can lead to feelings of loneliness and isolation. One effective solution is making sure your team feels included, appreciated and supported.
Community is an essential aspect of work from home environments. Utilize social media and online tools such as Groups on Facebook to build and engage your remote community; or try Reddit or Slack for niche communities.
An effective company-wide message can keep people connected. It could take the form of an email outlining key messages for all members of a remote working team or hosting an interactive quiz to highlight popular skillsets among team members.
Enhancing team bonds should also be a goal; various techniques exist for this. From holding monthly virtual meetings or sharing photos of office pets, to giving everyone a tour of your living room – the better you get to know one another, the stronger will your team be.
Finally, you can demonstrate your outstanding technology by creating an engaging interactive tool or app for your remote team. This can make a tremendous difference in their productivity and engagement levels while taking full advantage of their time away from home – with everyone feeling valued for what they contribute from anywhere on Earth.