4 min
As most businesses have seen an increase in productivity from remote work, many organizations around the world are planning to go fully remote to offer their employees a better work-life balance and save costs.
But before you take the big step, it’s important to know the pros and cons of working remotely.
Pros Of Remote Work
1) Better Balance Between Work And Personal Life
Remote workers don’t need to commute to the office every day, which helps them spend more time with their family or a hobby. With enough rest and free time, employees focus better on their work, which equates to higher productivity and efficiency.
2) More Freedom
Remote employees, especially those who have flexibility, have more freedom to create their own schedule. They can work early in the morning to have the rest of the day off or at night if that is when they feel most productive.
When working remotely, the focus is on getting things done efficiently, rather than spending a set number of hours in front of a laptop screen every day.
3) Enhanced Employee Experience (EX)
With no daily commutes and excessive coffee breaks, remote work vastly improves the employee experience and well-being. Offering them an optimal experience creates a culture of high performance and efficiency in which they want to improve and succeed in their work.
4) Decreased Commercial And Infrastructure Costs
The fewer employees that come to the office each day, the fewer desks and equipment businesses need. In addition, a smaller space could be occupied to accommodate them at their workstations, which would reduce rental costs. In fact, according to a study by Inc., organizations can save up to $2,000 for each employee who goes remote by not having to set up office space and general infrastructure.
5) Increased Productivity
Unlike traditional office workers who can feel frustrated after spending an hour or two commuting in the morning, remote employees feel more positive and refreshed when they start work.
Plus, without excessive coffee breaks or interruptions, employees can fully concentrate on their work, leading to increased productivity. In fact, according to Small Biz Genius, more than 75% of employees agree that they have fewer interruptions when working outside the office, and 77% of them say they are more productive when working from home (known as Working From Home, WFM).
6) Ability To Recruit And Retain Top Talent
According to IWG, more than 83% of employees say the ability to work remotely is one of the top deciding factors when considering a job offer. 74% of them would leave their jobs to work for an organization that allows them to work remotely more often, even if their salary stays the same.
For organizations, that means offering remote work benefits are no longer an option. It’s a must if you want to recruit and retain top talent. Companies that offer flexible work hours, whether in the form of full or partial remote work, can make a world of difference to candidates looking for their next career move.
Cons Of Remote Work
1) No Face-To-Face Connection
Without face-to-face interactions or meetings, it can be difficult for remote teams to work together. Managers worry that team members aren’t working as efficiently as they did in the office (despite research from the Harvard Business Review to the contrary). Similarly, employees may struggle due to reduced guidance and support from their managers. In many cases, they even feel left out when remote managers are unaware of their needs and challenges.
How to avoid it: Managers can schedule weekly 1:1 meetings with each team member.
2) Lack Of Access To Information
Without the proper on boarding process or help, it can be challenging for remote employees to find and locate all the information they need to manage their work. On average, according to Nintex, employees spend 30% of their workday searching for information. While working remotely, this number increases even more as they are alone and able to reach out to colleagues for help, which invariably decreases employee productivity and engagement.
How to avoid it: Integrating a unified Virtual PBX to provide employees with access to all data and applications related to their tasks.
3) Decreased Collaboration
When teams work remotely, there is less chance of employees talking to each other about random everyday things over lunch or coffee break. While these conversations may seem unnecessary from a distance, they actually help improve your coordination and communication.
When remote teams restrict their conversations to work without informal chats, team members feel uncomfortable communicating with co-workers about any difficulties that may be affecting their work.
How to avoid it: Arranging informal team meets where everyone can connect and catch up on a personal level.
4) Loneliness And Isolation
Going to the workplace every morning adds structure and routine to people’s lives. In an office, you spend time with colleagues and even talk to employees who work in other departments.
But working remotely alone with a laptop can feel isolating and lonely. While some people choose to work through a coworking or cafeteria space to avoid loneliness, continued isolation with no engagement with the team can eventually lead to frustration, burnout, and decreased efficiency.
How to avoid it: Planning virtual team-building activities for all company employees.
Is Working Remotely Effective?
While there are some pros and cons to remote work, the pros outweigh the cons. Furthermore, all the downsides can be easily avoided by setting up the right strategies and equipping employees with remote work tools that can help them stay productive and efficient even while working from home.
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