Remote work was around before 2020, but the pandemic made it more popular in a faster time frame than anyone would have predicted. Organizations around the world scrambled to adapt to this new way of working. Even now as the world slowly moves on from COVID-19, many organizations still hold on to some form of remote work. 

Along with the changes in how people work, there have been shifts in communications, cultures, and how you should treat those that work for you (both employees and contractors). 

If you’re looking to try out, implement, or perfect remote working in your organization, then it would be helpful for you to know about its pros and cons, as well as some trends we’ve been seeing lately. This way, you’ll be able to make informed decisions and enjoy success whatever choice you make. 

The pros of remote working

1. Increased productivity

There are a lot of reasons that remote workers are more productive than their in-office counterparts. The top reason is that there are less distractions. No coworkers coming to your desk to gossip, no uncomfy work clothes, no thermostat that you can’t control. There’s also the pronounced lack of a manager or leader hovering nearby. 

Working away from the office can provide employees with calm and a peace of mind that they simply can’t get at the office. 

Additionally, some office jobs even allow employees to work at whatever times of the day suit them, as long as they complete their tasks on time. 

2. Healthier work-life balance

People who work remotely have extra time, availability, and flexibility. The nature of remote work means no commute time, less time spent getting ready, and less time prepping meals or rushing through breakfast. For employees’ loved ones, this can mean meals together, helping with homework in between meetings, or even being able to take them out because of flexible work hours. 

There’s also the possibility for hobbies and personal interests to flourish. With extra time for managing personal lives, remote workers tend to be happier and more satisfied with their lives and jobs overall, leading to less stress, more content, and a higher retention rate. 

3. Healthier lifestyle

Being healthy while working 9-5 in an office is difficult. The everyday hustle and bustle can stop people from having balanced and nutritious meals, especially for breakfast and lunch. This can be because of pressure to go where everyone else is going for meals, a lack of time, or a lack of resources. 

Working from home allows people to make their own meals, eat what they need, how much they need, and when they need it. It’s also possible for employees to take short breaks to rest their eyes, go for a walk, or even do a couple of burpees. 

This doesn’t just mean a healthier lifestyle for workers, but it also means substantial savings from not eating out all the time. 

4. More savings and a smaller impact on the Earth

The office can be a huge cost for a business. Remote work means saving on bills for electricity, heating, and rent. Offices have a lot of lights, air conditioning, taps and toilets running, so it’s not just a lot of money saved when people work remotely, it’s saving the environment some wear and tear too. 

Similarly, employees also enjoy huge savings on transportation, vehicle maintenance, parking tickets, eating out for meals, and more. 

5. Global talent pool

When you don’t need employees to come in to work every day to fulfill their role, your talent pool is quite literally global. You can hire whoever is the best fit for the job no matter where they are because they can tick off tasks online. 

This also allows you a sneaky little pro – leveraging time differences. While you’re asleep, your employee in a different time zone is working away, meaning that their task is done by the time you wake up.

The cons of remote working

1. Training headaches

Brand-new employees can find it difficult to access the training and advice that they need to figure out what’s going on and how everything works. You may also find it a headache to remotely assign new recruits the contacts that will help them integrate successfully, help them to get set up, and teach them how to use all of the tech and software that the organization uses.

2. Communication gaps

In an office, approaching someone and asking them a question or discussing a problem is so easy. Remote work means relying on instant messaging and calls to communicate. 

While it’s convenient because everything and everyone is pretty much in the same place, it just isn’t the same as talking to someone in real life. Online communication isn’t as effective because not all human communication is verbal; non-verbal cues make up a large and meaningful chunk of it as well. 

Communication also doesn’t flow naturally online as it does off, so a lot gets lost in these communication gaps. 

3. Possible difficulty to become and stay motivated

Employees don’t have any direct supervision or monitoring while they work remotely, so some of them may find it difficult to get and stay motivated. This can affect meeting targets, timelines for projects, and even project outcomes. 

It’s easy to fall into a laid-back attitude and form bad habits like procrastinating. 

4. Lack of socializing

Working remotely equates to a serious drop in and sometimes all-out cancellation of work socialization. The lack of socialization can mean:

• Rookies struggle to integrate easily
• Employees don’t ask for help as much, even when they really need it
• Increase in levels of loneliness
• More effort needed to socialize
  

5. Dependence on technology

Remote work is only made possible by technology. This means that you need to provide your employees with all the right hardware and software and train them to use them as well. This can take a lot of time, effort, and money. If something goes wrong with the tech, it can take time to solve those problems, so watch out for that too.

Trends in remote working

1. A culture of recognition and growing attention to employee wellbeing

As employees have gotten stretched thinner and thinner during the pandemic, their tolerances for poor treatment and working conditions have gotten far lower. As such, they require recognition for their efforts and better terms and benefits from their work. 

Employees dedicate so much of their time and effort to their companies, so it’s important that they are shown appreciation for that in meaningful and effective ways. 

It’s always been important to treat workers well, but it seems now workers have realized it too. 

2. Compromising

More and more people are looking for remote work and better working terms, but a lot of companies want the opposite. The trend that seems to be emerging is that the two parties are compromising; the two parties settle for hybrid work and some of the improved terms. There are more days off and paid sick leave, even if it’s not as much as was asked. 

3. Freelancing is booming

Increasingly, people are looking to freelance rather than be attached to one company. It seems that they crave the freedom that the lifestyle of a freelancer offers as opposed to the rigidity and stability of the corporate world. 

However, this isn’t to say that organizations need to be worried. It can be a good thing to outsource certain tasks in your company to a contractor. They have their place in a company alongside employees.

How to make remote working work

There are some things to note about remote work that are important factors in making it a success. 

• Communication from the top is the foundation of remote working succeeding. It’s imperative that you keep clear and open dialogues with all of your managers (or your employees, depending on the size of your company). That’s the best way to set examples, make information clear, and be an accessible leader.
  
• Create boundaries and stick to them. This way, you and your team won’t be overwhelmed. Ensure that your program manager isn’t doing site updates or that your COO is doing marketing implementation. These aren’t their roles!
  
• Have a roadmap for success for your business. A roadmap will help your team to see where they are headed each month and will let employees and contractors understand the growth that you’re looking for.
  
• Do things courteously. There are many awkward and difficult moments in the office such as letting someone go, but there’s an extra layer of weirdness when it’s remote. Ensure that you do all you can to be courteous in situations like these. 

Remote working certainly has its pitfalls, but it isn’t going anywhere. Talk to your employees and find out what it is you can do for them and how you can compromise to find the best solution moving forward. Every company and leader is unique so there isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution, but with some information from us and conversations with your staff, you can definitely make it work for you and your company!