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9 Challenges Faced by Remote Workers

9 Challenges Faced by Remote Workers
August 27, 2021

According to several studies, remote workers are comparatively more productive, healthier, and have a better work-life balance. The advantages for both workers and corporations are fueling a workplace revolution, with predictions that by 2022, half of the workforce will be working remotely in some capacity.

Recently, many studies have been published on the benefits of remote working for everyone involved. Remote workers have been recognized to take fewer sick days, stay motivated for longer periods, remain in their positions for more extended periods, and value their independence over pay raises.

Although remote working appears to be the corporate revolution we all need, it isn't just something you can implement. To demonstrate this, we'll look at a few remote work obstacles.

 

Challenges of remote working

Despite all of the benefits that remote employees experience, there are several drawbacks to working from home. The most prevalent challenge remote employees face is unplugging after work, which 22 percent of respondents claimed they face.

 

Loneliness is the second most prevalent concern (19%), while cooperation (17%), distractions at home (10%), time zones (8%), and remaining motivated (8%) are all difficulties that affect remote workers and the companies they work for.

 

Communication, scheduling, performance tracking, and language/cultural hurdles are among the main obstacles for firms using remote workers. Another issue it notes is establishing and sustaining trust among small team members.

 

Working too much

One of the reasons many bosses oppose remote work is that they believe their employees would become complacent without physical, in-person supervision. However, the opposite is true in actuality: distant workers are more likely to overwork. It's more challenging to disconnect when your personal life and career are housed under the same roof.

 

What time does the workday begin? End? It's difficult to picture a clear line between work and family life. If you work for yourself, you may find yourself in a never-ending sales mentality, tiring.

 

Prioritizing work

Because we don't have others continually overseeing our work or managing our time, remote employees must be self-motivated time-management gurus. While sticking to a plan and managing to-dos is difficult for any employee, it's especially difficult for remote workers who have rather more flexible, free-form days and managers who are located in different parts of the world.

 

Then there's the continual temptation to watch one episode of your favorite show over your lunch break, wipe the slab in the kitchen when you're stalling on a project, or walk your dog because they're insisting you to. All of a sudden, it's evening, and you've accomplished nothing during the day.

 

Distractions and interruptions

The brighter side is that working from home allows you to avoid interruptions from coworkers and other office disturbances like ‘’it’s her birthday, let’s cut the cake!’’.The bad news is that you'll almost certainly have to deal with other types of interruptions and distractions, whether it's the courier delivery person who needs your signature or your family unexpectedly dropping by.

 

It's challenging to have small children who don't realize they can see you, but you're not available to play. It's excruciating to keep saying, "no, I don't have time right now.

 

Technology issues

Many remote employees enjoy and make use of technology. In addition, if you want to work from home, you must accept technology. This applies not just to the hardware, such as a laptop, tablet, or smartphone, but also to the various sorts of tools accessible for these devices, such as apps, software, and so on.

However, it's all too easy to get caught up in the electronic maze. It's critical to make informed decisions and only employ the tools that you'll need in your job.

 

Communication

Communication, whether with a boss, manager, or other team members, is one of the most challenging aspects of remote work. It isn't straightforward because you don't get the chance to chat with others during a brunch break or when you need to discuss a project while you work from home (or any other location other than the company's office). Instead, you stay at home and do your job alone.

 

Procrastination

It isn't easy to work productively when you have a million social media scrolls at your fingertips.

According to a recent survey, while 70% of respondents believe that using a smartphone while at work is unacceptable, more than half admit to doing so regardless.

This doesn't mean that you should forbid your staff from using smartphones and set up surveillance to ensure that they follow the regulations. Working remotely gives you a lot of liberty and freedom, and you shouldn't be the one to limit it.

In the world of remote work, smartphones are sometimes required. Instead, teach your team how to stay on track with tactics and tools.

 

Maintaining team management

Staying focused is one of the most prevalent work from home difficulties. While most remote workers prefer to work from home to escape some annoyances at work, team engagement can become a barrier that small teams must overcome.

The rationale for these kinds of work-at-home issues is simple. The repetition of remote workers' daily schedules makes them feel separated from their work.

 

To counteract this, there are a couple of things you can do.

First and foremost, ensure that your workforce is knowledgeable about and enthusiastic about your company's objective.

Reassessing the objective of your work can help remote workers connect with the company's broader aims, allowing them to feel more content in their overall role.

 

Incorporating daily or weekly yoga is another concept that may seem unusual at first. Meditation and yoga have both been proven to improve concentration and engagement. These advantages do not exclude the workplace.

According to studies, people who exercise on workdays are 27 percent happier and more productive than their peers. Yoga is elementary to include in a virtual platform using video conferencing.

 

Sending feedback to employees

Remote workers are not eligible for advancement to a larger office in the business building. However, self-improvement is still one of the problems of working remotely.

Feedback, contrary to popular belief, isn't always a bad thing. Your criticism must be constructive. It might be used to encourage one of your employees to keep going, or it could be used to deliver constructive criticism.

 

If you want to create a really collaborative and coherent business structure, don't forget to incorporate comments from your remote staff. Feedback can be exchanged through retrospective meetings and/or daily stand-ups.


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