When we think of offices, we believe in workspaces where we can converge in, talk about ideas, interact with fellow employees, and maximize our productivity. But for others, offices can be a demotivating place, which can lead to a slump in productivity and creativity, among others.
Why Remote Work?
With the recent advances in technology, it’s easier to access software and application catered office workers, including project management applications, designing tools, and office apps. Coupled with a high-speed connection, companies will be able to manage its resources easily and send information back and forth.
Let’s face it: we don’t necessarily need to be in an office to be productive with our work. Sometimes, office workers can comfortably concentrate on their tasks when they’re at home’s comfort. But for the most part, people want to associate work with a workspace, and having an office space can help compartmentalize between rest and business.
But whether you’re someone who excels in the presence of others or you’re more inclined to solitude, some circumstances are out of our control that can force us to work remotely. Most studies have shown that a specific type of highly contagious disease is known to cut most individuals’ lifespan by ten years. Of course, we want to ensure that all of our co-workers are able to enjoy the benefits of their retirement insurance plan or policy, which is why we have to take drastic measures.
With a threat of a global health crisis looming overhead, it’s only logical that we take the necessary steps and measures to ensure that we are safe. Although there is a silver lining to what has transpired, most experts have found offices to be a thing of the past, mainly when everyone can easily communicate with each other through more digital means.
There’s a multitude of different benefits to working remotely. Here are some of the key reasons:
Less Physical Contact
The first and most important aspect of working remotely is that you won’t have to get in direct contact with everyone else. Some findings have shown this particular virulent agent being able to stay on surfaces for hours to days. When working from home, we will be in a familiar environment that we can easily sanitize while still doing our workloads.
Less Monthly Expenditure
Since offices and facilities won’t be used, there is less need to spend on maintenance equipment and tools. At the same time, energy spending is significantly reduced, with most maintenance system being turned off.
Reduces Transportation Costs
For employees, most won’t have to spend hours in a week to get to their workplace. On average, a worker will usually travel 26 minutes every day. If this happens five days every day, then that is already a reasonable amount of time wasted in traveling. When working remotely, employees will be able to start their work on time without moving.
Flexible Schedules
Since most people won’t necessarily need to be in the office, they can work on their workload during their own time. For companies that work on creating content, this incentivizes working during the weekends, or when a person will have free time.
Promotes Meritocracy And Trust
For the most part, remote workers won’t be there in the same office as you are. While employers want to track their employees’ time and progress, some employers want to base payments off workloads that are finished. This helps remove any form of personal bias that might be present in office environments.
Transitioning towards remote work can help ensure that there will be no physical contact, which will help ensure that transmissions are mitigated.
Step-by-step Guide
Communicate with your team
The first step when transitioning to a work-from-home environment is letting your team know that there will be a change in the standard daily operations. You might have to talk to them on the phone or personally (within a safe distance) so that your message is clearly delivered.
Draw a plan
Next, it’s time to start drawing a plan on how you will operate day-to-day operations. It’s crucial that you hear your team out if they are having any problems when working from home. Do they have connection issues? Do they have the necessary equipment? These are just some questions that you might need to ask them.
Communication platforms
Several communications platforms like Slack and Zoom can make communication more comfortable and more efficient.
Project management systems
When it comes to tracking the progress of your works, project management systems are a great way of having a methodical approach to finishing work.
Transitioning to a remote workplace might seem like it will take a reasonable amount of time and resources, but it is a necessity nonetheless. It will help you get in the groove of being productive by not limiting you in the confines of an office, but it can also keep us safe from unforeseen circumstances that might happen to the public.