Whether employees will return to the office or continue working remotely is a contentious issue in organizations.
According to research, when people have the option to work virtually and the flexibility to schedule their tasks, they are more committed to their companies, perform better, and are less likely to leave.
To get to the bottom of it, let’s take a closer look at some of the pros and cons of remote work.
Pros of Working Remotely
– Saves time
People find that they have a lot more time for work and their families if they don’t have to commute to work or travel to other cities or countries. This time can be used to complete additional tasks, spend more time with family, exercise, or relax.
– Increases productivity
Many people were surprised to discover that working remotely increased their productivity. The elimination of commuting and travel time is an obvious benefit, but they also discovered that working without the typical office distractions allowed them to be more focused.
– Flexible schedule
Remote workers discover that they can attend meetings while also finding quiet time to complete solo work, giving them more scheduling flexibility. Meetings don’t have to work around commuting schedules, which has increased attendance.
– Balancing family needs
Although people complain about the difficulties of working with children in their homes, the reality is that having the flexibility to work from home allows people to balance their work and family obligations easily.
– Cost-cutting measures
Remote work saves money for both employers and employees. Employees don’t have to pay for commuting, while employers have reduced the cost of business travel.
– Organizational structure
While many businesses are shifting away from hierarchical structures, remote work encourages more horizontal interactions with greater equality.
Cons of Working Remotely
– Trust
In-person communication has apparent advantages. Unlike in-person, where the ideal time spent with your coworkers invariably leads to discoveries about one another, you must share your personal side in the remote format.
– Collaboration
How can businesses replace the collaboration that occurs when employees work together in the office? New tools, such as virtual whiteboards and new meeting formats, help to re-establish creative collaboration.
– Informal communications
Many leaders rely on the casual, unplanned communications that result from “managing by wandering around.” Executives claim that these impromptu interactions teach them more about what is going on than formal meetings, but such informal interactions are difficult to replicate remotely.
– Being in touch with customers
Nothing fosters relationship-building and engagement like visiting customers at the place of business, especially in retail settings. Even for remote employees, some in-person visits and meetings to establish initial relationships can foster insight that can be followed up with remote interactions.
