Best HR software to Manage your Remote Workforce
What is Remote Work ?
Remote work is a practice of work that allows professionals to work outside of a traditional office environment. It is based on the concept that work does not need to be done in a specific location to be done successfully. You can see it as instead of commuting to the office every day to work at a designated desk, remote workers can execute their projects and exceed their goals wherever they want. People have the opportunity to design their days so that their professional and personal lives can be lived to their full potential and synchronize peacefully. this new cultural paradigm shift.
How Remote Work Benefits
1. Flexible lifestyle
The most obvious reason people want to work remotely is because it gives them a more flexible lifestyle. When they don't need to be in an office for a while, remote workers can focus on the things that matter to them outside of the office. If a remote worker is also a parent, they can start work earlier so they can be there when the kids come home from school or take time off during the day for a doctor's appointment. Another scenario could be a remote employee who wants to enhance their skills can utilize this time for attending additional training or courses in their field. Not being subject to a rigid schedule in a fixed position, a teleworker can follow a master's degree or continuing education during the day and double his work in the evening or vice versa.
2. Higher productivity
One of the most touted arguments in favor of remote work is the increased productivity that comes with its flexibility. Remote workers are more likely to put extra effort into their job, going the extra mile to get their job done compared to office workers. According to the Studies of Work and Productivity Report, 65% of full-time employees believe remote work would increase productivity — and their bosses agree. Two-thirds of managers surveyed reported an increase in the overall productivity of their remote workers.
3. Cost Savings
Remote employees are also great for the essence of organization. If a team is fully distributed, companies may see reduced overhead from money saved on costs such as rent and office furniture. To put this learning into perspective, Flex jobs reported that employers can save 22% per remote worker per year, even if the entire team is not remote. By hiring and managing the workforce remotely, it can definitely benefit the business. You can lead a more profitable product development team if you get it right. You'll also find that a well-managed international team brings fresh perspectives and can handle time-sensitive tasks 24/7, helping you get things done around the clock.
4. Engaged employees
In addition to profit margins and more efficient, higher quality work, employers are offering remote work opportunities to keep their employees happy and engaged. Remote work isn't just a flash in the pan for employee engagement, nearly 75% of employees surveyed in the study said they would leave their job for someone else offering work remotely. distance. This is something that will make employers interested in talent retention listen a little louder. Remote employees said they were happier than non-remote employees and also felt more valued in their role.
What are the drawbacks of remote work
1. Distractions by personal work
There are many distractions at home that can disrupt an employee's focus on their work. Some of these factors include children screaming, traffic noise, doorbells ringing, dogs barking, and household chores. If employees continue to work from home, they genuinely must have a devoted work area and a timetable. Remote work, especially for those who live alone, can sometimes lead to feelings of loneliness and isolation.
2. Increased need for meetings
Since an organization's employees are scattered far and wide, management will want to monitor them to some degree. In a remote working world, that means managers can no longer walk across the office to check on their employees. Instead, they should schedule virtual meetings to discuss routine project management tasks. Although digital meetings can be less disruptive than in-person meetings, they are rarely the highlight of the workday. And having too many meetings often causes employee frustration.
3. Security concerns
Security is always at the top of a company's priority list. But this becomes critical when an organization has to adapt to remote working arrangements. A company's potential security vulnerabilities increase when considering anti-virus software, firewalls, and VPN settings for employee home Internet connections. To complicate matters further, employees decide to work in a coffee shop or other location with public Wi-Fi and when bringing personal devices to a corporate network. Before the idea of remote work is even mooted, companies need to make sure they can meet or exceed security expectations to minimize a cybersecurity catastrophe.
4. Inconvenient for new hires
Starting a new job is challenging for most individuals , even under the best of circumstances. But new hires to an organization can feel overwhelmed if they move from a traditional office to a main office at home. They must not only learn to play their new role, but also learn to navigate new technologies. As a result, managers can spend more time training a new employee remotely.
Is remote work practice a success or failure ?
A Remote workforce helps improve employee productivity while helping individuals enjoy a better personal and work-life balance.but that's just a theory part we are looking at. Practically speaking remote work comes with many challenges ahead like managing personal space and workspace, coordination with peers and staying updated as we have seen in the above article. The result of remote work may defer from employee to employee depending on their job profile, role, location and many other factors. For a telecommunication executive it may work fine but for an individual within management may face many complexities and working in an isolated environment is not a healthy suation for him to work where continuous feedback is required. It is still debatable whether remote work culture can be a part of Global corporate culture as many leaders considered this as a sufficient and less productive way to work.