According to a recent study released by Switzerland-based service provider, Zug, up to 70% of professionals around the world dive at least once a week into the universe of telecommuting. More than half the global population stays in the home office for at least half of the week. More and more employees are taking advantage of the increased connectivity to create a new work/life balance through flexible working options. Ultimately, remote work, which seems like an absurd request, made my young Millennials ten years ago, has increasingly gained in popularity.
It’s easy to understand why employees are falling in love with remote working. It is the ultimate future of the workplace. Indeed, in an age where mental health has become a predominant worry, professionals prefer solutions that can improve their day-to-day lives and allow them to pursue their personal interests. Automation solutions and digital communication tools are not a novelty anymore but applied to remote working options, they enable many experts to manage intensive business tasks in a click, from anywhere in the world. The trend for going remote and working from home is not only finding a lot of enthusiastic followers but is entirely supported by innovative tech.
However, remote working is not an overwhelming success in every company. In fact, a lot of businesses are worried about allowing their staff to work from home. More importantly, they are reluctant to embrace the move towards a virtual office environment. As much as remote options are an integral part of the workplace of the future, it isn’t entirely accepted as a viable solution by today’s businesses. Here are the most common reasons why telecommuting fails in some companies.
They worry they can’t get hold of their staff
How do you contact a staff member who isn’t in the office? A lot of businesses are worried about finding an alternative to the typical phone extension that sits on your office desk. It’s fair to say that employees can hardly connect to the phone system from their home office. However, they can connect online, using the business VoIP phone system – you can see more about this here. Ultimately, with VoIP solutions, an Internet connection and a decent microphone are all you need to be on the call. Additionally, employees can also sign up to their office phone extension via the tool, ensuring that external calls made to their number can reach them at any time. Additionally, other means of communication, such as email, company chat platforms, and social media remain an option for home-based workers. Finally, there’s nothing stopping businesses from providing mobile phones to their team, which could be an alternative to the VoIP system.
They try to micromanage
There are two types of managers. On the one hand, there’s the manager who trusts the team to get on with the tasks and touches base sporadically throughout the day or week. On the other hand, there’s the micromanager who needs to virtually sit by the shoulder of each employee to check on their work. Micromanagers significantly affects the team’s satisfaction and creativity, as explained here. Indeed, when people feel that every single step and decision they take is monitored, questioned, and reviewed, they don’t feel appreciated for their skills. Remote workers, especially, struggle to stay on top of their productivity when they have to confirm every task with their manager first. The truth is that enforcing checkpoints, catch-up meetings, and daily emails are a waste of time for everyone.
They don’t believe in anything outside of 9-to-5
The business working hours are not set in stone. Indeed, nowadays, customers can get in touch at any time of night and day. It seems absurd to pursue the 9-to-5 routine when the market has long moved on toward a more flexible approach. Digital technologies allow partners, leads, and clients to interact when they see fit. The question that your employees are asking is: Why should I work a traditional 9-to-5 job when there’s no such thing anymore in the market? Indeed, introducing more flexibility enable companies to catch up with early or late queries in real time. Additionally, it also reduces the need for days off when an employee has a personal appointment. In other words, the 9-to-5 schedule is outdated and irrelevant. Failure to switch to a more appropriate working routine could affect your productivity.
