The world has seen an increase in the number of people working remotely over the past few years. And the recent coronavirus outbreak has speeded the process up even more. Of course, not all the jobs out there offer this possibility, but many do. Working remotely usually implies working from home or some other favourite space. Remote work has brought considerable changes in how we perceive and do our work. It has both benefits and drawbacks.
The top benefits of remote work include saving both time and money. It’s also better for our environment. Working from home has been found to positively affect productivity, increasing it. Furthermore, it offers much more work opportunities, not being location-bound. However, there are some drawbacks to it as well. Remote work can make teamwork more challenging. It can also evoke feelings of isolation in some moments. There are different distractions we need to be aware of. And lastly, it can disrupt our work-life balance.
Benefits of remote work
Let’s start with the benefits. Work from home differs from typical work in the office in a few aspects. In order to be able to work effectively from home, there are some remote work tools available that get the job done. The main benefits include saving time and money, being eco-friendly, higher productivity and more work opportunities.
It saves time and money
Working from home saves us a lot of time (and money) in the aspect of commuting. Commuting takes up a lot of our time, especially if we’re traveling during daily rush hours. And we usually are. We can definitely spend our time more productively. However, we mustn’t forget that when we work from home, we do have slightly increased costs of electricity, heating, and use of technology. As for the companies, they also save money in terms of office space as well as parking space. Also, they don’t have to reimburse their employees for travel costs. So, it’s a win-win combination as far as this aspect is concerned.
It’s eco-friendly
Another essential aspect is the eco-friendly one. Working from home is more beneficial for our planet. Due to all the exhaust fumes, commuting is not good for our environment. Especially if you’re commuting alone, using your vehicle. By using public transport or carpooling, we can also reduce our carbon footprint. Generally speaking, we can save lots of hours and thousands of dollars every year by working remotely.
Higher productivity
By working remotely, employees can be more productive due to fewer distractions at home. There can be other distractions but not the ones common for the office, such as office gossip, unimportant meetings, or different unnecessary interruptions. Next, employees can work according to their biorhythm and levels of energy. They can also design a home office suitable for their needs. A suitable home office that increases our productivity levels has some special features. That’s why it would be good to go for an ergonomic workspace design.
It offers more work opportunities
Working remotely has opened many doors for us regarding work opportunities. It enables us to work for any company anywhere in the world. It also means that companies can attract better talent with no geo limits.
Drawbacks of remote work
However, besides the many benefits, there are also some drawbacks work from home brings along. These include making teamwork more challenging, potentially evoking feelings of isolation, different distractions as well as possibly disrupting the work-life balance.
It makes teamwork more challenging
An aspect of remote work that can be challenging is teamwork and leadership. These need to be clearly set when transitioning to remote work. Employers and employees need to learn how to communicate effectively online as well as how to run and participate in online meetings. Besides these, members of the team need to communicate internally using some platforms. It can be a little tough to build team spirit.
It can evoke feelings of isolation
Since remote work implies working from home, we can sometimes feel lonely and isolated. That’s because we’re social beings who thrive on socializing. There are some ways we can prevent these feelings from emerging. If possible, combine office and work from home. Turn on your camera when communicating online. Use different tools for communicating. Organize and attend team-building events. Also, remember your colleagues’ birthdays and don’t miss out on informal gatherings. It will keep these connections alive.
Different distractions
Even though we mentioned that there are no typical office distractions, there are possibly home distractions. These include a pet, a child, partner, roommate, neighbours and so on. Distractions can also come in the form of noise, TV or hobbies. That’s why it’s great if you have a designated quiet home office. It allows you to work in peace, to be more productive and efficient. In the long run, it’s quite hard or even impossible to work from home without a proper home office space.
It can disrupt the work-life balance
The aspect of achieving a perfect work-life balance poses quite a challenge when working from home. We are tempted to constantly interrupt our work and pay attention to our family members or do something, else, such as household chores. To master the work-life balance we need to clearly set working hours, and work 100% of those hours, of course, making regular breaks. The rest of time, however, our free time, we should spend with our family, friends or doing something that we like. It is difficult to make this distinction as both of the aspects are happening in the same place. We need to distinguish them in our minds.
As you can see, there are both positive and negative sides to working remotely. The best way to get all the benefits from it is to perhaps combine working from home and working in the office. In that way, you are still flexible and you don’t miss out on socializing at work. Also, you don’t waste so much time commuting.
