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Examining both the perks and pitfalls of remote work, highlighting its growing prevalence and its impact on businesses.
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Did you know that about 16% of companies currently operate entirely remotely?
They hire, assign, and allocate resources to their remote teams through digital workspaces. So far, the remote work model has saved businesses and individual commute and office space costs. It has also improved productivity and job satisfaction.
However, as with any other work model, there are downsides. So, what are the challenges of remote working?
This piece will highlight two significant challenges of remote working for employees. We’ll look into specifically communication hurdles and time management.
But that is not all!
Besides highlighting the issues, we’ll provide strategies to overcome these remote working challenges.
Let’s begin.
One challenge of remote working is communication breakdown. Here is a practical example:
You receive a brief email with an assignment that needs more crucial details on deadlines, formats, or resources. Feeling unsure, you hesitate to ask for clarification and proceed based on assumptions.
The resulting problems:
Such scenarios happen too often in the remote work setting. The main reasons for this may be:
Perhaps the organization doesn’t provide its employees with dedicated communication channels for exchange. Information can get lost or siloed without dedicated channels for different types of communication (urgent messages, project updates, casual discussions).
Without clear expectations and established practices for information sharing, you make assumptions, and tasks go awry.
This makes quick back-and-forth communication difficult and can lead to delays in clarification or feedback.
This is a common challenge of remote working. If you feel you can’t ask questions or raise concerns freely, information gets misconstrued, and problems fester.
Poor communication within a remote team is time and resource-wasting. It also reduces productivity and implicates job satisfaction. So, the challenges of hacking communication when working in a remote team require a multi-pronged approach. The following are a few tactics that remote employees can use to ensure clear and consistent communication:
Remote employees can onboard project management tools like Trello and Asana. These platforms reinforce team collaboration systematically. You share documents on tasks and track your progress in real time.
It does not stop there!
Video conferencing through Zoom or Google Meet helps you attend and run team meetings and brainstorming sessions. These facilitate face-to-face interaction, eliminating vague text exchanges that might cause confusion and doubt. Emails and other instant chatting channels may be valuable for asking questions and getting clarification.
Remote employees have to follow the set communication guidelines to deal with the communication challenges of remote work. Know how frequently you should reach out and at what times. Use email, record audio, instant messaging, or combine the three.
These catch-ups may be virtual meetings to discuss project progress. These gatherings help you and your colleagues address concerns and exchange solutions. This may promote an open communication culture within the remote team.
Employees should also attend and participate in informal team-building activities like virtual talent shows or team lunches. These help everyone get acquainted, boosting team collaboration and communication.
Maintaining focus and productivity is yet another challenge of remote working. Here is how this goes:
You are working from home, which has quite a lot of distractions. You may want to multi-task by doing laundry and working or feeding the baby as you work.
This lack of physical separation of work and home chores is distracting. It makes it harder for one to stick to a consistent work schedule. If a remote employee does not address this, it causes:
The following section looks into how you can beat all the above challenges.
Because the time management challenges of remote work for employees can be dire, it’s best to find solutions fast! Below are some techniques that employees can use to ensure they remain happy, productive, and in employment:
Set up a home office. Have a desk, install the computer and anything else you may need. This physical separation helps you better allocate your time.
Next, always schedule time to focus. Silent notifications and communicate your work schedule to others. If you have chores, do those before or after work. You may also use focus tools like the Pomodoro Timer or the Time-Boxing Technique to maintain concentration.
If you have kids or pets, set systems to ensure they stay away while you work. This reduces the need to multi-task, tending to them as you work.
To mitigate missing deadlines:
Based on the communication channels and guidelines the manager sets, communicate clearly and timely. If you work in different time zones, set collaboration times. You may sometimes have to work nights if the matter is time-sensitive. Nonetheless, ensure you communicate on time.
Unlike traditional settings, some challenges of working in a remote team bleed into personal life. To ensure you never get to the point of burnout, schedule breaks. Remember the Pomodoro Timer we’ve mentioned above? This tool gives you 25 minutes of undistructed time, then 5 minutes breaks.
Do not skip them!
Secondly, develop and keep a work schedule routine. You set time to work, exercise, do house chores, and relax. This routine goes a long way in helping you separate work and life.
Even though there are several challenges of remote working for employees, it is still a very productive workplace when done right. The formula is to set boundaries, communicate clearly, and prioritize well-being.
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