Business and Individual Challenges of Remote Working

By Olivia Rahim | January 30, 2021

Remote working: isn’t that the dream for everyone? You don’t have to commute to the office anymore, have colleagues as distractions, and be able to create a better work and life balance. It can all sound pretty wonderful, and in many ways it is. But there are some challenges that come from it.

More so than ever before, people are working from home. Due to the global pandemic, businesses have had to ask employees to work from home, with very little notice, and just had to make it work. Studies have shown that employees are often more productive when they work from home, but they can also work more hours and work at a more intense pace, which shows that remote working isn’t all sunshine and sleeping in. There are challenges that individuals face as they work from home, as well as challenges that businesses face with colleagues working remotely. So how can they be dealt with?

As a business, looking at things like managed services outsourcing could be helpful as more people are working remotely and there can be a greater need for IT help. Data sharing is another thing that can be tricky when working remotely, as well as keeping company information secure. So implementing cloud computing, if not already in place, can be a really good idea. But what about individuals working from home? What can they do to improve how things go?

If want to avoid overworking, so that you can really make the most of an improve work and life balance, then here are some things to think about:

• Put specific tasks as appointments in your calendar. You might make an appointment to workout or go for a walk with the kids. You could set an appointment to go out to get lunch. When it is in your work calendar, you won’t get overscheduled with work appointments and meetings. 
• Reminding yourself to take breaks is something that is so important. If you don’t set yourself a reminder, then a couple of hours could have gone by and you won’t have moved from the desk. Stopping to grab a drink of water or having a quick walk will help you to be more productive when you return to your desk. 
• It can be hard to do, but if possible create some physical boundaries for yourself between work and home. Where possible, have a dedicated office space or area where you can just switch off the computer and get on with what you need to do in your home life. 
• Your smartphone that isn’t for work can be a big distraction when you see a notification popup. So switch off your notifications so your personal emails and app notifications can wait until you have finished doing your work. 

It does take a lot of planning and being organized, especially if you have children that are learning from home at the same time. It is no picnic at these times, but when you put things in place, it just shows to employers just how much working from home can work. It really is going to be the future of businesses. 

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