Flexplace, also known as remote work, is shifting the location of work from the normal office work space.
Remote work is typically performed from the comfort of your home, personal office or other preferred location of employees. When working at home, it might result in the elimination of the need to travel to work entirely.
Some businesses even offer this service to all their employees. They are often referred to for their “fully-remote offices”.
In addition to being able to recruit top employees from across the globe, remote working jobs can be beneficial in reducing commute cost and time as well as reducing their carbon footprint.
There are many additional advantages and disadvantages to remote work that we will take a explore in depth within this piece.
Remote Work: advantages and drawbacks you should be aware of
Like flexible-time (flexible working hours) that allows employees to decide when they want to begin and finish their working day and/or when to rest for within the bounds set by the manager, flexplace, or remote work is becoming a popular feature of modern-day workplace.
This simply means that employees are able to decide, within the limitations established by management, the place they’ll perform their job.
Remote work has been getting increasingly popular over the past few years, as well as with the COVID-19 epidemic and the need to socially disengage the workplace, flexible policies are rising regardless of the kind of work permits it.
As you read the article you may consider remote work for employees of your company or for yourself. Below is the entire listing of the pros and negatives of remote work to help you more quickly determine the merits of remote work for your situation.
In the following sections, we’ll examine the primary advantages and disadvantages in greater detail and provide a few basic points of advice, as well as some helpful tips to avoid any traps.
The major benefits of remote working are:
Potentially more talent (almost without geographical restrictions) for employers
The employees are paid in full and receive benefits
Employers (and employers) can cut down on commuting time and expenses
More autonomy and less interruptions in the office can improve the efficiency of employees
Employees can totally modify their work environment
They may be able to assist employees with disabilities.
It is possible that the company will extend its operating hours.
There are fewer parking spots and office space required
Carbon footprints that are lower
The most significant negatives of remote work are:
It is not suitable for positions which require special equipment
There are fewer opportunities to network for employees
Electricity and heating bills at the homes of employees could be higher
Certain employees may be less productive under this arrangement.
Some employees might feel neglected and are a bit isolated.
It is more difficult to create friendships, team spirit, peer-to-peer relationships and also to manage individuals
It could be difficult to schedule meetings and co-ordinating projects
It’s more difficult to oversee and assess work (and it is also more difficult to conduct remote monitoring of work)
Let’s take a deeper look at the major benefits and cons of remote work , and how to combat the latter.
The three major benefits of remote work
1. Money and time savings, as well as being more considerate of the natural environment
The commute is usually a lot of energy, time, and cash, particularly when we take rush hour into account. It is clear that these dollars and hours could be utilized more efficiently.
It is also bad environmentally, even less so when employees drive their own vehicles and travel by themselves. It is true that remote work can save thousands of hours as well as millions of dollars could be saved each year and the carbon footprint will be less.
But, they usually face certain additional expenses while working remotely, for example heating, electricity, the use of equipment, and so on.
Many businesses that allow remote work, and thus reduce the need for parking space, office space, travel expense reimbursements, and so on take care of a part of these expenses when employees work remotely.
The best advice for both employees and employers is to figure out an option to share the cost.
2. Increased productivity due to less distractions
Remote work allows workers can stay clear of distractions, including insignificant meetings and office gossip, random phone calls and interruptions from colleagues.
If there aren’t any other distractions in the home, such as pet calls, personal calls or household chores. (more on this later) Work productivity can be significantly increased through remote work.
Remote work allows employees can typically be able to work more freely. They are able to adjust their work schedule to their own biological rhythm and their level of energy throughout the working day.
Employees are also able to arrange their workspace at home according to what they prefer. These are the main benefits that remote work offers.
However, certain employees may be struggling with their managing their time when they’re away from the office. Employers are advised to schedule time management training or training for employees with these issues to help them reach their maximum productivity.
3. It’s the new norm.
As part of COVID-19, employees demand their employers to allow remote work, especially when their physical presence isn’t required.
A modern , employee-friendly workplace is now considered to be a place of work that has flexible-time policies and flexi-space.
A flexitime and flexispace policy can allow you to attracted to better talent or search for talent that is not bound by geographic boundaries.
Talent is everywhere and waiting to help you meet your goals for your business, provided you are able to provide great working conditions and an excellent atmosphere.
The three major disadvantages of remote work
Like everything else on earth, the remote working has its own set of disadvantages however, they are easily overcome or turned into benefits.
1. Leadership and teamwork may be a more challenging
If you are just beginning to learn about remote work Some adjustments and the developing new skills are essential.
Employees must be able how to communicate online and conduct online meetings efficiently as well as to work with other remote workers and utilize various IT tools.
The transition isn’t easy However, new capabilities are always welcomed and are the basis for personal and corporate growth.
The task of managing a remote team may be more difficult. There may be a feeling of a lack of control, and it may be more difficult to create the team spirit. Two of the best remote work suggestions for remote leaders are:
Move from being an individual leader based on time to an outcome-oriented leader
Create a unique way to promote the feeling of belonging
2. Feelings of being isolated
No matter if we’re talking about bosses or employees we’re all social creatures and cannot be successful without interaction with others. Isolation is among the most common causes of depressive symptoms and a lack of productivity.
Be sure that you, as remote workers or remote employees as an employer, that you don’t feel lonely when working when working remotely. Here are some essential tips to avoid feelings of loneliness while working remotely:
Work remotely and work in an office
Make use of a camera while communicating online
Utilize traditional methods of communications (phone …)
Organise (virtual) gatherings and team building activities, for example.
When you start work, check-in.
Keep in mind birthdays, and organize informal gatherings for work
3. At-home distractions and a loss of the balance of work-life balance
Working remotely means there aren’t any distractions at work however, in the opposite, a remote worker may be confronted with many new distractions, particularly when those who work from home, such as pets, kids or hobbies, television and more.
It’s extremely beneficial for remote workers to work from a remote location free of distractions.
If you work remotely is also more difficult to achieve the ideal balance between personal and professional life. There are two main problems, one of which is working continuously because the desk is always nearby.
This is particularly dangerous for people who work all day long. If you’re working continuously with no breaks, or without any type of work-life balance the productivity of your work will decrease rapidly over the long term.
The other trap is to work for a portion of the day while the remaining time spending time with family or enjoying yourself. For instance, you could be working for a couple of minutes and then focusing on family members, before returning to work or even trying to multitask.
If you work remotely, it is logical to work 100% working with full attention during the hours of work (even when they are flexible) and be completely unoccupied during non-working times.
The remote-work policy should be set at work
If you’re considering the possibility of implementing remote work within your business for the first time, it is important to consider asking some key concerns regarding the possibility of remote work within your business.
They can assist you in establishing the rules of the game and general guidelines regarding remote work. Also, ensure that you are able to avoid any possible traps or disadvantages of remote working.
Here’s what they are:
What work-related activities will be completed at what time, where, and how?
What is the amount of time at work, and at what time?
What is the method of keeping track of working hours? recorded?
How should meeting and projects in collaboration be managed?
How can we ensure the highest quality for workplace interaction?
What support in terms of technology equipment and support is required, and who can provide it?
What company and network data are required to be remotely accessible?
How will the arrangement be monitored and rated?
You can clearly see from the above, an crucial aspect working remotely is to determine the best way to keep track of attendance and time regardless of where you work and also how hours of work are tracked.
Beyond workplace communication, determining when, how often and when employees get together in person; having an understanding of the times that people are working and what is the most important part of remote working. Also, don’t forget the compliance aspect in this respect.