Remote working is becoming an increasingly popular way to work. It allows professionals to work from anywhere in the world, anytime, and with anyone. Whether you’re working on a laptop at home, or in a cafe in another country, the flexibility and freedom of remote working is an attractive benefit for many. It offers a range of advantages, such as improved work-life balance, increased productivity, and cost savings. It also allows professionals to diversify their client base and work with people from around the globe. With the right tools and strategies in place, remote working can be an effective way to do business.
What is remote working?
Remote working is anytime, anywhere working. It’s a way of working where an employee is not based in an office but works from home or outside the office. Remote working can also include working from another location, such as a client’s office. The key difference between remote working and telecommuting is flexibility. When you work remotely, you can choose when, how and where you work. When you telecommute, you have a set schedule and location. Remote working is becoming increasingly common as more companies hire freelancers or have a virtual team of employees working from different locations. It can offer employees and employers a number of benefits, such as improved work-life balance, increased productivity, and cost savings.
Advantages of remote working
– Improved work-life balance – Remote working offers flexible hours, which can help you achieve a work-life balance and enjoy more recreational time.
– More productive employees – Remote workers are typically more productive, since they don’t have to commute to and from the office each day. They can also set their own hours, which can be helpful if you need to hire people with limited availability, such as parents.
– Cost savings – Remote workers generally cost less than employees who regularly commute to an office. They also tend to save companies money on office space.
– Client base diversification – Hiring remote workers allows you to diversify your client base and work with people from around the globe.
Challenges of remote working
– Communication – The main challenge with remote working is good old-fashioned communication. Remote workers and team members must be able to effectively communicate with each other and solve problems efficiently.
– Lack of collaboration – Remote employees don’t have the same access to co-workers as in-person employees do. This can make teamwork and collaboration more difficult and lead to a lack of team camaraderie.
– Time management – Time management is key for remote workers. Working from home or on the go means there’s no set schedule, which can make staying productive a challenge.
– Too much autonomy – Autonomous employees must be self-directed, motivated and able to handle challenges without constant supervision. Autonomous workers can also be more vulnerable to burnout and isolation if they don’t have work-life balance in place.
– Loneliness – Working remotely can be isolating, especially if you’re not used to it. However, there are ways to prevent loneliness while working remotely.
The best remote working tools
As with any new way of working, it’s important to choose the right tools for the job. For remote teams, the right tools can make the difference between an effective and efficient way of working, and one that’s frustrating, confusing, and inefficient.
– Collaboration – You need a tool for efficient and effective communication, whether it’s for internal or external communications. Beyond basic communication, tools that facilitate brainstorming sessions, ideation and generating ideas can help remote teams work productively.
– Project management – Find a tool that supports your project management methodology. Choose a tool that provides structure and keeps everyone focused on achieving the team’s goals. Make sure the tool you choose has the necessary functionality for managing virtual teams.
– Time tracking – You’ll also need a time tracking tool to keep track of your time and make sure you’re billing your clients correctly.
Tips for successful remote working
– Set clear goals – Before you start hiring people to work remotely, make sure you set clear goals and objectives for why you want to work remotely. Having a clear vision and purpose behind your decision will help you stay on track and achieve the results you want.
– Understand the pros and cons – Remote working has both advantages and disadvantages. Make sure you understand the pros and cons before you make the decision to hire remote workers.
– Create a remote working plan – Once you’ve decided to hire remote workers, you should create a remote working plan. Your remote working plan should outline the types of roles you want to hire for, the qualifications for those roles and the type of person you’re looking for.
– Create a culture and environment that promotes remote working – The way you manage your team, create a culture and establish an environment that promotes remote working can make or break your remote working experience.
Creating a remote working plan
Once you’ve decided to adopt remote working, you need to create a plan for rolling out the change. A remote working plan will help you manage the transition from office to remote working and ensure you hit the ground running. You can start by creating a list of the benefits you hope to achieve by adopting remote working. Once you’ve outlined your goals, think about how you can achieve them. Then, create a timeline for rolling out the remote working change. A remote working timeline will help you stay organized and keep track of the progress towards your goals.
How to stay productive while working remotely
– Establish clear boundaries – Working remotely can be tempting to do at all hours of the day, but you need to make sure you set clear boundaries. Remote workers who don’t set boundaries can become isolated and lonely. – Create a healthy work environment
– Create a healthy work environment by setting up a remote desk, designing it to be functional and making sure you have everything you need to work productively from home.
– Set goals and maintain a routine – Stay productive by setting goals and maintaining a routine. Whether you like to work in the morning or evening, or prefer to work on weekends, find a schedule that works for you and stick to it.
– Delegate – If you find yourself feeling overloaded with work, you should delegate tasks to other team members. – Take breaks –
Remote working etiquette
– Build a relationship – Invest the time and energy into building a relationship with your team members, beyond just checking in with them once a week. Getting to know your team members and forming strong relationships can help make remote working more effective.
– Respect boundaries – Make sure you respect your team members’ boundaries, just as you’d expect them to respect yours.
– Set expectations – Make sure you set expectations for communication so your team members know when and how to reach you.
– Be flexible – Be flexible and ready to adjust to change. Remote working can be challenging, so being flexible will help you adjust and adapt to any changes or challenges that arise.
– Take time to celebrate –
Remote working jobs
Remote work, in general, is on the rise. In fact, almost 21% of the U.S. workforce is now working remotely. So you’ll have plenty of company if you decide to make the switch, whether you decide to do it full-time or just on the weekends. For many people, remote work is a welcome change from the 9-to-5 grind, but it can be tough to make the transition if you’re not prepared. Before you make the leap, make sure you have a secure, reliable internet connection and a good set of remote working tools.
Remote working courses
– The Remote Working Hub – The Remote Working Hub is a website and online community for remote workers. It’s a helpful resource for those who are just starting out, and it can give you an idea of what your typical day might look like in the future.
– Remote.co – Remote.co is an online magazine and booking platform for digital nomads and remote workers. It’s a helpful resource for those who have been remote working for a while and are on the hunt for new job opportunities.
– The Remote Working Academy – The Remote Working Academy offers online courses to help you make the transition to remote working. They offer a variety of courses, including one focused on productivity.
– Skillcrush – Skillcrush offers online courses that can help you make the transition to remote working. They offer a variety of courses, including one focused on productivity.
