6 biggest Remote work myths to leave behind in 2021
Since the spread of Coronavirus, remote work has become a trend that changed how the global work space operates for good.
Now, if you're amongst the lucky people that have already settled into remote work, or you're considering a remote work way of life, it's important to understand that there are really common remote work myths you need to be aware of that can hinder your remote work experience. In this post, I'll share with you the 6 Biggest remote work Myths of all time, so keep on reading...
Myth #1: Remote work means productivity decreases
Employers need to understand that employees' presence in an office is not related to how much work they're getting done. For Example, Microsoft has a global workforce of 156,000 employees. After sending employees home, the Microsoft team found that workdays lengthened by an average of four hours a week. People were likely signing in to work earlier and signing off later.
Offices can be extremely distracting. Noisy co-workers, lunch with colleagues, useless meetings, office parties, and interpersonal conflicts, which can take people away from more important tasks and waste everyone's time. Stanford conducted a two-year study of a major Chinese travel company that found working from home made employees 13 percent more productive, compared with their in-office counterparts, and less likely to quit. Lack of office distractions and greater autonomy encourages remote employees to focus on their work and get more done during the day. Employers' ability to trust their teams to work out of the office, could be key to driving more productivity than ever before.
Myth #2: Remote work threatens data privacy
With remote work becoming the new norm these days, data security becomes more of a concern. Companies that adopted remote work culture have also followed a set of rules to ensure that remote work is safe. Like having an established cybersecurity policy in place outlining all of the various security protocols employees are expected to comply with, plus tools and resources the company will provide to support remote workers in complying. Such as encouraging employees to use a virtual private network (VPN) to encrypt remote workers data, password managers that randomly generate passwords for remote workers and stores all of the passwords safely, having two-factor authentication (2FA) whether it be an answer to a “secret question” or perhaps a PIN that was sent to their cell phone, without forgetting Firewalls, Antivirus Software and Anti-Malware.
Remote work does not have to jeopardize data security. Once remote workers are educated and these top cybersecurity procedures are implemented, they can quickly become standard practices that everyone in a company can commit to with ease — and everyone within the organization can feel confident that they are doing all they can do to protect the security of their employer’s data.
Ready to Go Remote? Check petitcode available remote jobs Now
Myth #3: Remote meetings are ineffective
That can be true unless you have a social operating system that defines how people interact, collaborate and get things done. The simplest way to improve a virtual meeting is to keep it short. Brevity keeps people focused, and makes it more likely that the right people will commit to sharing their time. Also consider having asynchronous meetings with your team. For example, at Trello, team members participate in daily asynchronous check-ins. Depending on their time zone, they log on when they start their day and share what they were working on yesterday, what they hope to achieve today, and any roadblocks or obstacles to getting things done. The 'daily ASYNC' as they call it, provides a simple mechanism for other team members and leaders to get a handle on progress, without having to find a common time that works for a globally distributed group.
Myth #4: Remote workers are lonely
Even with the wonderful perks that remote work offers — the flexibility, getting to work where you’re the happiest, focused work time, potentially traveling around the world, and more — it’s hard to avoid moments of loneliness with this work and lifestyle. That's why remote workers value human connections so much that they put themselves in situations where they have to talk with other people all the time, especially in co-working spaces where they take time out to chat with people in the kitchen or grab a coffee with someone in the café. Remote workers also like to be part of offline & online communities like Slack communities, FB groups, and forums, etc. to experience connecting with others who share their values and appreciate the same things they do, and that's a very powerful thing.
Myth #5: Remote work increases costs
That can't be further from the truth, in fact remote work decreases costs. We all know Office spaces are expensive in the current market and it's one of the biggest fixed costs every business will have to deal with. The good news is that office sizes depend on need so by allowing employees to work from home, businesses can reduce the office space & supplies, like phones, desktops, stationery items, coffee machines hence reduce office costs.
Remote work also means lower salaries because remote workers are much more likely to remain loyal to a company that offers flexible scheduling even if that means lower earnings. OWL Labs found that Remote workers say they are likely to stay in their current job for the next 5 years 13% more than onsite workers. However, they found that 61% of remote workers would expect a pay increase if they were no longer allowed to work remotely.
If you're looking to establish your cash reserves or have more money to reinvest back into your business, hiring remote staff is the way to go.
Ready to hire remote workers? Check petitcode available Specialists Now
Myth #6: Remote workers are working 24/7
That's simply not true! because remote workers know that working 24/7 can be foolish on many levels. First off, they know that more working hours won't lead to more output. Second, creating a sense of work being twenty-four seven blurs the boundaries between work and home, and that means multitasking during the real work day too. That's why they are mimicking a normal work schedule in their remote setup to maintain a healthy balance between their work roles and their personal and family life.
Conclusion
Now, with those 6 biggest remote work myths out of the picture, you have a better understanding of what remote work really is and what it isn't to make the most out of your remote work experience without second guessing.
As we wrap up this article, here are few hand-picked items for you to improve your remote working journey–