challenges of remote working for employers

Working independently with just a computer screen to keep you company is vastly different from the hustle and bustle of an office. It seems that working remotely is not problematic when it comes to time management. When it comes to skills development, it’s crucial. Although the switch from 15-20 percent of employees working remotely to 100 percent wasn’t too difficult, it did raise some issues. During employee reviews, effective processes can make sure there is an ongoing focus on skills development. The security challenges posed by remote working aren’t solved through technology alone. Communication . According to a study by Zogby Analytics, remote workers reported lack of information from management (38 percent) and the timeliness of the information (39 pe… But let’s face it, being a remote employee isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. You may opt-out by. For the inexperienced, the struggles of remote work can catch you off guard. Gone were the company lunches on the patio that overlooks Antlers Park and the mountains. The remote working group results not only showed a work productivity boost equal to a full day’s work, but also fewer sick days and a 50 percent decrease in employee attrition. Employee Benefit News. Many remote employees work from home, which means ample distractions (the dishes, the laundry, the un-mowed lawn, maybe your children and spouse)—and it’s all too easy to get sidetracked. Remote work is not new, and many of its challenges such as providing remote work tools, maintaining productivity, staying connected with coworkers, and managing effectively from a distance are well known to employers. There’s a popular perception that telecommuters are more productive than their 9- to-5, office-based counterparts. “But on the positive side, lots of future business opportunities arise having to come up with solutions to new problems in the new normal that are likely to be ongoing,” a professional services respondent said. In the past, remote work has been largely reserved for customer service representatives but that’s changed now with remote work being a reality for many different industries across the board. • Be transparent. Several research reports suggest that employees working from home or a remote location are more productive than those working in an office. Thirty-six percent of employers agree the shift to remote work is the biggest change imposed by COVID-19. Only a small minority of employers reported negative experiences (4% “poor” and 2% “terrible”). In order to maintain productivity, a quick adoption of remote working is a must. The COVID-19 crisis is confronting companies with a large number of challenges over a short term. You should know how to make the most of the remote work setup while addressing potential problems or drawbacks. There are many challenges of managing remote employees. Demotivation – an in-depth study by the Martec Group found that working from home during the COVID-19 crisis has reduced job motivation by 20% 1. © 2021 Forbes Media LLC. Offer recognition when your remote employee goes above and beyond. One of the most common advantages associated with telecommuting is reduced operating costs. Working from home is a wonderful arrangement for those who want to escape the daily commute and wasted time on the road, or be home for their kids when they hop off the bus. Having a written remote work policy or employee agreement can circumvent many problems. Now, with social distancing guidelines in place all over the world, working remotely remains the only option to keep things running smoothly. Related: How To Overcome the Communication Barriers for Remote Employees. And this makes it easy to feel like you need to join every single meeting—with the camera on. And don’t miss these top workplace benefit stories from EBN’s editorial team. In this article, I’ll share with you 10 challenges that I had to overcome in order to succeed as a remote employee at Time Doctor. HealthEquity explains how the Consolidated Appropriations Act will affect plan participants in 2021. “I realize how dependent upon a solid internet solution and dependent upon my employees having internet in their homes in order to use remote access,” said a respondent in professional services. Remote work may be more common than it used to be, but it still comes with its challenges—especially if you’re one of the few WFH’ers at your company and the rest of the team is in the office. Distract and redirect: Engage in activities that benefit your well-being, bring you joy and distract you from existing challenges. Challenge #1: You Have Trouble Managing Your Time For reprint and licensing requests for this article. Managing Remote Work. While businesses have offered remote working to some employees for a number of years, it has become increasingly popular as internet bandwidth, WiFi and other related technologies have advanced. This is actually not a myth. You'll have to write off the time and resources you spend to train an employee as a loss or unwanted expense, which certainly doesn't equate to cost efficiency. The vast majority of employers reported that their organization’s “digital preparedness” for the transition to remote was positive (43% rated “excellent” and 40% “good”). One of the challenges of onboarding training with a remote workforce is to integrate the new person into the organization. You won't immediately obtain the cost-efficiency advantage when you hire telecommuters. A small 2015 survey conducted by ConnectSolutions (via SHRM) found that "of those who work remotely at least a few times per month, 77 percent reported greater productivity while working offsite.". It's also important to ascertain whether the type of job you're offering is appropriate for a telework setup. Even as businesses progressed through the digital era, convention dictated that a company's strategic objectives were best met by gathering all employees at a specific location - an office, a factory - and using layers of supervisors and managers to ensure work was performed to the required standard. The top issue faced by remote workers was “unplugging” from work. “Our business is a relationship driven business, so the lack of face-to-face interactions has prohibited our ability to build new relationships with the brokerage community in the employer benefit world,” said a respondent from an insurance company. For some workforces that moved to an entirely remote environment, employees could return to their workplaces, usually in a staggered fashion and under new working arrangements. A mobile app addresses all of these HR challenges and pain points associated with poor communication. The IWG 2019 Global Workspace Survey found that 3 out of 4 workers around the globe consider flexible working to be “the new normal.” This was before the coronavirus pandemic spurred even more organizations to implement remote work policies. 38% of the virtual workforce says communication is the biggest issue. I’m the CEO of Day Translations, Inc., a global translation company. Place importance on skills advancement as part of employee reviews. Another important benefit of telecommuting is that you can tap into skilled global talent. Human Connection. DON’T. Hiring remote workers supposedly lowers operating costs, as well as some capital expenditures. 5 Common Challenges of Remote Work 1. There are some challenges of remote working that you and the organization you work for must overcome in order for you to be successful. The remote work setup can also make it easy for employees to find excuses for failing to do what their employer expects of them. Not everyone performs as expected, especially those who are forced to telecommute but may not prefer to do so. Remote Work Presents New Rules and Challenges for Companies As workers stay home to prevent the spread of COVID-19, companies are having to … Working from home: Your common challenges and how to tackle them. The Challenges of Working Remotely For Employers. It’s never been so easy . Not every task can be effectively done remotely. 38% of the virtual workforce says communication is the biggest issue. Here are eight common challenges of working remotely for employees, and tips on how to overcome each one: Challenge: Maintaining engagement and focus. Karina Tama, founder of Senior Care Clicks caught up with Jason Barnard to share some tips, tricks, and advice. One of the many challenges of managing a remote team is that the typical day-to-day interactions can’t be replicated virtually. The company is working to identify programs run by people in underrepresented communities. Employee Engagement. For example, telecommuters should be required to provide various contact details and possibly include the contact number or email of somebody (like a family member or acquaintance) who the employer can reach in case they can't reach the employee. Access to a larger pool of talent may also mean you have a greater chance of hiring the wrong people. However, employers can botch them with poor hiring systems and decisions coupled with a lack of understanding of the nature of telecommuting. There’s been a 173 percent increase in people working remotely since 2005. If your business is rolling out a flexible, telecommuting or remote working model, it’s worth confronting – and make contingencies for – the biggest disadvantages of remote work, for both employer and employee. Whether you're thinking about working remotely or are currently a remote worker, you'll be happier and more productive when you meet these challenges head on. This can be a major advantage for employees who tend to work more efficiently at certain times of the day. I’ve been telecommuting for over 12 years, first as an employee, then later as a freelancer and a virtual business owner. The shift to remote work has been a major transition for employers during the coronavirus crisis, and the challenge of supporting their workforce through it has posed a learning curve for many companies. Despite its perks, remote work can be isolating. Even just having a few square feet in the corner that I don’t use for anything else helps a ton with being able to switch ‘work brain’ on and off.” For many companies, working from home was a luxury before the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, let’s focus more on your remote employee challenges of HR. 2. Many employers are hosting training sessions to help their workforce (four out of 10 employers) and their customers (three out of 10 employers) adapt to digital communication. Abbey, an employee from Stack Overflow, an online community for developers., says, when working remotely, “It’s been crucial for me to designate space and time for work, even when I’m living in a place without much room to spare. One of the reasons many managers don't approve of remote work is they fear employees will slack off without that physical, in-person oversight. 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Employees working remotely can see the doctor more easily, eat healthier and take care of ailments better; which means that they have the ability to work more efficiently and have less time off than if they were in an office. Opinions expressed are those of the author. This research is a follow-up to a previous survey conducted in March, when shelter-in-place orders first took effect. Measuring remote employees’ productivity is near the top of the list for most small business owners. However, being away from a day-to-day office comes with the challenge … Handling 8 Common Challenges of Working Remotely as an Employee. Remote work can lead to poor team communication A study (paywall) published in the Harvard Business Review in 2014, for one, confirmed this: At one company, call center employees who worked from home took 13.5% more calls than in-office employees. So what could go wrong? If you don't consider these factors, your business could end up with higher employee turnover, which leads to more costs for training new employees. Plus, there’s no over-the-shoulder accountability to keep you off Instagram. Managing Remote Work. Now almost all of them rushing to build remote work strategies. Employees Don’t Say “No” Enough. There are factors that can prevent the expected advantages from materializing or turn them into disadvantages. All Rights Reserved, This is a BETA experience. The challenges in implementing remote working. (Our colleagues have written about those issues here.) The Challenges Of Onboarding Training With A Remote Workforce. It can be tempting to work more while you have your work at home, however it can also be taxing on your health and well-being, so stick to a schedule with healthy boundaries. Again, some employees aren't suited for remote work -- a situation that can be worsened by poor management. A flexible schedule, the ability to work from any location, and no more commuting were the top reported benefits. Working remotely is a style of working that allows you to work outside of a traditional office, whether at home, in a co-working space, at a coffee shop or other location. With the COVID-19 lockdown, remote working for many people is new, difficult, and perhaps scary. And what must managers do to help navigate the new normal involving remote work? Of course, there are many challenges of a remote work but not all of them are that difficult. A mobile app addresses all of these HR challenges and pain points associated with poor communication. The Challenges of Managing Remote Employees. Remote-working checklist: 10 top challenges you'll face during the giant work-from-home experiment. They can easily say they have problems with their computer, internet connection, or power since it's difficult for their manager to verify these events. To get the necessary speeds we would have to move our offices 50 to 60 miles, which is not practical for our tax clients.”. Here are some of the challenges people face as they work remotely. Top Challenges When Managing Remote Employees . That’s why it only makes sense to be more open to telecommuting. 5. That’s why it’s important for businesses that hire remote workers to establish clear and strict rules. With more restrictions in effect, “we’re going to see a lot more of this,” she said. Over that time, we’ve gained many insights about overcoming the unique challenges of working across time zones and across continents. Others felt their business was suffering because employees are unable to staff brick-and-mortar locations and build relationships with clients. Expertise from Forbes Councils members, operated under license. Managing remote employees comes with a set of unique challenges, and overcoming them should be a top priority for many employers. Read more about remote work in our guide to remote work. Here are a few common remote-work pitfalls and how to sidestep them. Have each department or team manage remote strategies independently is a recipe for disaster. In honor of MLK Day, here are employers who are working to create a more inclusive workplace. In the current remote working environment, any opportunity for collaboration with your manager is invaluable. Less stress: Remote workers don’t have to worry about commuting or driving to the office, getting up early in the morning to avoid getting caught in congested traffic, and dressing presentably (but often uncomfortably). But just as customers and staff are raising the bar, employers are having to confront the long-term challenges of managing a remote workforce. As millions of workers around the world start telecommuting for the first time due to the COVID-19 pandemic, few know what to expect.They only know the image peddled by all those “Work from home!” ads littering the Internet. “Our area does not have the necessary level of high speed broadband internet. ... we encourage employers to ensure that their remote workers have both dedicated workspace and adequate childcare before allowing them to work … Having to implement the systems used time resources to set up but once it was established and new protocols were in place things moved along smoothly.”. For many knowledge workers, there seem to be twice as many meetings (particularly video conferences) now that they’re working from home. Hiring telecommuters can be rewarding in many ways. Employers, and their brokers, have the opportunity to get creative with their next steps. Many employers may have to amend and/or introduce new policies to regulate employees who are now working remotely. So were the fitness events that the company sponsored as part of its wellness program, and the town hall meetings that helped bring people together. Positions for app developers, creatives, financial analysts and most especially translators and interpreters (the industry I work in) may be difficult to fill if companies rely on local talent pools. #7: Maximising productivity. Overcoming the Challenges of Working Remotely. Willingness to work overtime: A study (via Science Daily) conducted by sociologists from the University of Iowa and University of Texas found that those who telework at least on a part-time basis work an average of three hours more per week. The policy should address working requirements, productivity, employee accessibility, time and performance measurement, and communication with management, Werner said. Our Rising Star Awards nomination deadline has been extended. The six long-term challenges of widespread remote working. Conduct a rigorous screening of candidates. When you hire remote employees, you can eliminate the need to add more computers to the office, reduce electricity consumption for air-conditioning and other energy needs and eliminate the need for more workspace. I’m the CEO of Day Translations, Inc., a global translation company. You have probably read several articles explaining the different boons and banes of telecommuting. Worry that your remote employees aren’t doing the work assigned, establish clear metrics of how they will be evaluated. Challenges arise from remote working when there is no central strategy. Check our list to find out if you’re working in the right way! We provide services to those businesses who want to expand worldwide.…. Banks, regulated industries, and many financial services companies did not encourage remote working. Already, employers are finding themselves offering that as a benefit, that flexibility of remote work, set your own work hours and location. Some of the challenges are obvious, but others you may not have considered. As well, the lack of person-to-person communication can be a challenge for some people. But the transition to remote work hasn’t been seamless for every employer. Some researchers have concluded that employee productivity increases with virtual work. Flexibility: Many companies that allow teleworking provide flexible working hours. Challenges of remote work during COVID-19: Talking with nomad marketer Jason Barnard . Remote working can present issues when following the law in terms of particulars of employment in terms of the BCEA. Better wellness and work-life balance: Working from home could make for healthier employees as they may be exposed to fewer seasonal illnesses, such as cold and flu. Challenges of remote work Challenge #1: Maintaining good communication. There are some challenges of remote working that you and the organization you work for must overcome in order for you to be successful. Loneliness is the second most common problem (19%) while collaboration (17%), distractions at home (10%), time zones (8%) and staying motivated (8%) are all issues that affect remote workers and the companies the… ; Loneliness, time … One survey projects a possible 5.3% increase in health plan costs for large employers in 2021. Joy and distract you from existing challenges understanding of the challenges are obvious, but had the infrastructure in to... With their next steps of MLK Day, here are some of the most part, can. Ascertain whether the type of job challenges of remote working for employers 're offering is appropriate for a telework setup most business... Pain points associated with poor hiring systems and decisions coupled with a remote work is the challenges! Potential for increased productivity, a quick adoption of remote work can catch you off guard they to... Have an effect on the patio that overlooks Antlers Park and the organization you work for overcome... 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