Remote work is a term for companies that value flexibility and allow employees to work part or full time from home alongside several other benefits. While the implementation of remote working guidelines has largely been an experiment, with the Covid-19 pandemic, it is becoming a must for many companies.  At least in the short term for sure. Covid-19, also known as the coronavirus, is forcing employers to rethink the way workers work. 

Now, many employers are struggling to implement work-from-home policies that are appropriate for today's world. Social distancing is the new buzzword taking over social media, and what's finally happening is that remote work is being massively tested. Many businesses and employers have found that they are completely unprepared for normal business disruptions even when it comes to remote work. Despite the obstacles, a clear plan and strategy make remote work a viable option with the help of best productivity apps of 2022.

You can treat it as something you fall back on temporarily when the world "digs in'' for something that becomes a more permanent part of your workplace. Outside of this event, it makes sense to have a remote work plan in place. Remote work gives companies the opportunity to continue their business even after other possible scenarios such as natural disasters. The companies need to know how to engage remote employees and maintain employee motivation when working remotely.

Benefits of Remote Work

We’re in a brief period of improved remote work culture. There are ongoing organizations that undertake those guidelines on a few levels to provide benefits for remote work at some level. In conditions like what’s presently being faced, the benefit is businesses continue to run operations in a time where operations would possibly be easily disrupted or stopped completely. Beyond that, right here are a number of the different benefits of transitioning to remote work permanently.

Improved Work Life Balance

A common criticism in today's time is the issue of managing an amazing work-life balance. Working 8-10 hours in a day on average leaves little time for family. As more time gets hampered due to commutes and sleeping hours. Working from home effectively removes prolonged commutes. Thus, allow extra time with cherished ones such as family and friends. Furthermore, on days when employees are not required to attend video meetings, they can get dressed in any manner and indulge themselves in some fun activities. 

Overall, it allows more feelings of comfort and higher work-life balance because of much less induced stress from work.

Reduced Absentee and Improved Turnover

Allowing remote work can help businesses retain employees and prevent absenteeism. When remote workers don't feel micromanaged and believe their employer trusts them, they are more likely to develop positive feelings toward organization leadership. In turn, workers will be less tempted to look elsewhere for employment, promoting a sense of loyalty and dedication. Even if workers aren't looking for new jobs, they might be less inclined to call out of work at random.

Better Managed Timelines

When working from home, many of the factors that cause tardiness are reduced or removed. Eliminated factors include oversleeping, being stuck in traffic and waiting in a long line at the drive-through to get morning coffee. Being able to roll out of bed and start working is a huge time saver.

Improved Flexibility

Remote work means employees can work from anywhere and not just from their homes. Coffee shops, beaches and other countries are now options. If remote work is appropriate, organizations can even extend operations beyond a typical 9 to 5 workday. Flexible working hours can be a godsend to employees who are night owls, or to those who have small children. Besides, the freedom it provides is invaluable for companies looking to stretch their working hours with a limited staff. It is also an attractive benefit that enables employers to draw from a deeper candidate pool in the hiring process.

Saves on Cost

Remote teams enable businesses to rent small office spaces or even move to a remote, cloud-based operation completely. It helps organizations to save money on rent, utilities and other office supplies. As a result, the organization can invest the saved money in other places to boost its production and other important features.

Add More Technology to the Workplace

Organizations scrambled to put the right tools in place to enable remote work when the pandemic began. Many companies were using outdated tools, forcing them to upgrade their systems. At the time, some businesses were already experimenting with telework and were better able to meet this challenge. But even they had difficulty scaling from a handful of employees with remote work privileges to an entire workforce. 

Companies need business messengers, video conferencing platforms, timekeeping software, task management systems and cloud services to replace legacy systems and physical office processes. Then they also need VPNs and other cybersecurity tools to secure these systems. In the end, this technology investment helped organizations join the modern business world and put them on more equal footing.

Brings Higher Productivity

Remote workers reported stable or increased productivity while working remotely compared to in an office as per several surveys conducted recently. In fact, in 2020, the steepest productivity improvements came in April and May, during the height of the pandemic. A lot of this was due to the elimination of daily commutes and lengthy in-person meetings.

Conclusion

While endorsing permanent transition to remote work there are few things the organizations and even the individuals must consider such as expectations. If businesses are evaluating implementation of remote work, they have to ensure it’s something that will work as far as employees’ roles. It may be that none of the positions within your business are suited to remote work, or maybe you find that a certain percentage of them are. Some businesses find that all roles can be moved to remote work. 

One of the biggest issues that employers often face when transitioning employees to remote work is that they don’t effectively set, communicate, and manage expectations. Organizations must upfront deal with such expectations to ensure the productivity of the company does not get harmed. Simultaneously, it should ensure the employee gets a quality work-life balance and enjoys other benefits of remote working.
 

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