Working from home is the new normal. That’s the reality companies of any size and nearly any field have to accept and handle the best they can.
When it comes to remote work, businesses tend to take different approaches.
Some decide to go all-in and move every staff member online. In comparison, others choose something that’s called a hybrid model. In this case, employees can usually choose how often they prefer working from the office and home.
Having said all that, the main goal for businesses is to make remote work as efficient as possible and keep the staff’s performance as high as ever.
Therefore, it is only natural to discuss this new way of working and consider its benefits, challenges, and risks.
To learn everything there is to know on the topic, continue reading the article.
Remote work benefits
Let’s start by outlining some of the most striking advantages of working from home.
They may differ from company to company, but most tend to be true for most businesses:
- Saving costs (time and financial) on commuting.
- Saving costs on the office space.
- More flexibility for the staff.
- Higher employee motivation.
- Fewer changes in the team.
- More eco-friendly way of working in terms of reducing carbon footprint.
- Potentially, more time spent with family.
Given the benefits mentioned above of remote work, working from home may seem like the best solution for employee well-being, environmental protection, and productivity.
However, there is more on the topic as considering some of the key challenges may help businesses decide whether a fully remote or hybrid model would work for them properly.
Remote work challenges
Some of the most common challenges of remote work include:
- Communication issues. When everyone is online, ensuring smooth communication may require extra effort. Communication may get particularly challenging when it comes to making key decisions.
- Weaker team. When employees don’t meet their team members daily, it’s harder to create a strong bond between different staff members.
- Time management issues. Not everyone is great at managing their time. Therefore, remote work may cause some employees to work more hours without achieving better results.
- Potential tech issues. Whether it is a lost connection during a Zoom call or slowly loading data files, the challenge of making technology work for you is even greater when the team moves online.
Remote work risks: information security
When it comes to the greatest risks of remote work, we have to talk about data protection.
Working remotely can take a toll on keeping the company’s sensitive information safe.
To avoid that, businesses must consider investing in secure databases and tools like virtual private networks (VPNs) and password managers.
Doing so will help to reduce the risk of losing sensitive information.
How to manage remote work properly?
Having discussed the benefits, challenges, and risks of remote work, let’s quickly recap how to make work from home efficient.
As a business, you might want to consider the following tips:
- Evaluating and reducing remote work challenges.
- Reviewing your company’s KPIs or OKRs so that they are remote-work friendly.
- Equipping your team with the right tools to make work from home smooth, secure, and efficient.
- Putting extra effort into bonding your team.
- Updating the reward system to keep the staff motivated.
Bottom line
Altogether, remote work (in one form or another) is here to stay. Therefore, businesses around the globe must make it work the best way possible.
Applying the tips mentioned in the article will increase your chances of ensuring your company’s best work from home experience.