The worldwide epidemic of 2020 has sparked a surge in remote labor that no one could have predicted. Organizations and professionals all across the world are taking this work arrangement seriously these days. It’s not that remote work or work from home wasn’t popular before, but it’s clear that it’s the way of the future.
The concept of a remote workplace means changing the central location for the workplace away from the standard office.
Working remotely is usually done at home, at the employee’s office, or anywhere else the employee likes to be. If you work from home, you may even be able to end the need to commute to work. It is not uncommon for companies to offer a remote workplace to their entire workforce. Apart from hiring great employees from all over the world, remote work reduces commuting times and costs and helps to reduce the carbon footprints of employees. Remote employment or telecommuting, like any other work arrangement, has advantages and disadvantages.
Every person who is new to remote work or who wants to start a remote job should evaluate the following important benefits and drawbacks of working remotely:
1. Advantages of Remote Work
Increased productivity
- When compared to their in-office colleagues, those who work remotely are more productive. The increased productivity of remote employees can be attributed to a number of factors. One explanation is that there are fewer distractions.
- When you work remotely, no one will come up at your desk to discuss trifling concerns or engage in a topic that is irrelevant to you. Furthermore, many remote jobs allow you to work outside of conventional office hours (from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.). You can work at different times throughout the day depending on how productive you are. Employers won’t object if you work on a flexible schedule as long as you do your assignments on time.
2. Improved work-life balance
- Working from home allows you to spend more time with your family. It is also possible to construct a timetable that will assist you in striking the ideal balance between work and personal life.
- You may save a large amount of time by not commuting to work. As a result, you may use the time you’ve saved to spend meaningful time with your partner (if in a relationship) and children (if have any).
- Remote employees might be happier and more pleased with their professions if they take some additional time each day to manage their personal lives.
- This is also advantageous to corporations in that it is simple to retain competitive personnel and hence maintain a high employee retention rate.
3. Improved way of living
- As an office worker, it might be tough to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Many people say that the daily grind prevents them from eating balanced meals, particularly in the morning and afternoon.
- When you work from home, you don’t have to do things like getting ready for the workplace, commuting to work, and so on. As a consequence, you save a significant amount of time that you can use to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
- You may make and eat healthy foods, as well as engage in various exercise sessions throughout the day. Furthermore, it is possible to take small breaks between tasks and engage in some physical exercise to maintain oneself healthy.
4. More money saved and a smaller carbon imprint
- Another significant benefit of working from home is the ability to save more money each year. Imagine if all of your transportation expenditures, parking tickets, vehicle upkeep, fancy restaurant lunches, and other expenses vanish. When you work from home, all of these benefits become a reality. You will lower your carbon footprint by not commuting to work since you will not be driving. Furthermore, it will not only assist you in doing your part to conserve the environment, but it will also help you save gasoline in the future.
Disadvantages of Remote Work
1. Communication chasms
- Proper communication among coworkers is one of the most critical things that is lost in a remote work situation. It’s so easy to contact any coworker in the office if you need to talk about anything in person.
- However, as a remote worker, you must connect with your coworkers via instant messaging and video calls. While video conferencing is a viable option, it will never be as successful as conversing with someone who is physically there.
- The lack of efficient team cooperation is likely to be hampered by a lack of good communication across remote teams.
2. Difficult to maintain motivation
- It might be tough to stay motivated and reach your objectives when there is no active monitoring and your coworkers are not working around you. In truth, this has always been one of the most difficult aspects of remote employment.
- As a remote worker, you may develop a laid-back attitude and a delaying tendency. If this begins to happen, it will almost surely have a negative impact on your work life.
3. Inadequate Social Interaction
- It goes without saying that you will miss the social connections with your coworkers.
- If you are an extrovert or a social butterfly, a lack of social engagement will affect you the most.
- Also, if you work all day without speaking to anyone, you are prone to feel lonely. As a result, you must exert more effort to engage with members of your team and may even be required to participate in remote team-building activities.
4. Management difficulties
- While remote working may appear to be enjoyable and exciting, most individuals fail to realize that they must handle everything from their workstation to their internet connection on their own.
- To be productive when working remotely, you must understand and use a variety of tools, including apps such as to-do lists, project management software, and so on. Furthermore, it is your obligation to keep yourself organized and to ensure that you have everything you need to handle your work efficiently.
To Sum Up
Remote work may be the perfect work arrangement if you wish to better manage your home life while being productive at work. However, there are some drawbacks to remote work that you should be aware of and push yourself to overcome.
