Challenges in the lives of Remote Employees and 4 Profound ways to Combat them
In essence, remote work refers to the practice of having employees perform work from a location other than an employer-operated central office. A worker’s home, a co-working space, another communal area, a private office, or any other site other than the typical corporate office building or campus could be considered such places. You are a remote worker, for instance, if you work from home yet your employer’s offices are ten miles away.
When working remotely, a worker does not commute to an office building, warehouse, etc., nor does he or she go to a central workplace. A remote job is one that is carried out away from a location that belongs to the employer, per definition. Employees can work from their homes, co-working spaces, coffee shops, or other unofficial locations under these flexible work arrangements. Full-time, temporary, or part-time remote job are all possible.
Remote Employment and its Perks
According to studies, remote employees are more productive, healthier, and have a better work-life balance. The advantages for both employees and enterprises are fueling a revolution in the workplace, which is expected to result in 50% of the UK workforce working remotely to some extent by 2020. Numerous research on remote work have been undertaken recently, outlining its advantages for all parties. Researchers have discovered that remote workers prioritize their independence over income increases, take less sick days, remain motivated for longer, stay at their positions for longer.
Although remote work seems like the business revolution we all need, you can’t just switch to it and hope for the best. Like anything else, working remotely has its drawbacks and presents a variety of difficulties. Fortunately, there are practical approaches and resources that every company can employ to get through these obstacles and reap the full rewards of remote working.
After learning about the benefits of working remotely, let’s move on to the dreadful difficulties that remote workers must deal with on a daily basis.
- Maximizing productivity
- Overcoming distractions
- Staying motivated
- Unplugging after work
Maximizing productivity
The worst scenario for remote workers is low productivity, which is also one of the hardest obstacles to overcome. Tasks that take a long time to accomplish interfere more with your personal life and make you less productive as a team member. Working from home or anyplace else can rapidly become a curse rather than a perk if you are an ineffective remote worker.
Solution: There are several solutions to this issue, but one particular and universal solution is to make a timetable that allows you to make the most of your time and be as productive as possible. In order to give your brain time to relax and reenergize, it is equally crucial to take breaks between tasks. Avoid multitasking as much as you can because it might seriously affect the quality of your job.
Overcoming distractions
Another productivity killer that may make remote working a pain and jeopardize team development is distractions. At-home distractions were the fourth most prevalent issue. Although some may argue that working from home isn’t strictly remote work, many who have worked remotely for years and do so now may attest that this issue affects them in both situations equally frequently.
Solution: Individual differences still exist in how to deal with distractions. Working in an environment where you feel more inspired, whether it be in your apartment, a restaurant, or a café, is one of the greatest ways to battle it. Basically, wherever you feel like you are in your professional aura. You may increase your productivity while also avoiding distractions in this method.
Staying motivated
Another frequent difficulty mentioned by remote employees is maintaining motivation, and this mainly has to do with working alone. The pressure to complete tasks is lessened when managers and team members are absent, and you risk losing out on the sense of accomplishment that comes from achieving goals as a team.
Solution: It’s crucial to discuss motivation with team leaders and coworkers if you’re a member of a remote team. It’s okay if some of you are naturally more motivated than others. What matters is doing everything you can to increase everyone’s motivation collectively. Additionally, remember to rest regularly to prevent burnout. Be fair to yourself and praise yourself when you complete challenging activities. You may maintain your internal fire in this way.
Unplugging after work
The worst of all the difficulties posed by working remotely is this. If you can’t unwind after the workday is through, there’s little value in working this way, and it’s tough to be productive if you never feel like you have a real break.
Solution: Getting everything done you set out to complete before the day is finished is the finest way to decompress after work. Because you instinctively know that you deserve to unwind after crossing everything off the day’s list, productivity is crucial. With this in mind, it is clear why it is crucial that you regularly achieve the daily goals that you set for yourself. Otherwise, it’s difficult to unwind when you’re not working since you’ll continually feel like you can do more.
There are many potential advantages to working remotely, but you won’t be able to take advantage of them until you reach a level of productivity and discipline that supports a work-life balance. Working remotely is not very useful if it starts to interfere with your personal life and vice versa.
Article by Vince Johann Martinez of BSBA MM 2A
References:
https://www.ventureharbour.com/remote-work-challenges-solutions/
