The global pandemic Covid-19 that struck the world in 2020 has changed the working style of people. It made remote work popular and more common among people all across the world. We can see a shift of professionals and organizations towards this type of work known as remote work. Organizations all across the world are adopting and preferring these criteria of work.
Remote work was known before, but after the pandemic, it became more popular and people got more aware of it. Flexjobs and Global Workforce Analytics conducted a study and found out that about 4.7 million people in the US are remote workers. The number of remote workers is increasing day by day.
So if you are here to read this article, then it means that probably you are aiming to do remote work. You are planning to be a remote worker maybe as a part-timer or full-timer.
So before you make a decision, this article would help you by highlighting the pros and cons of remote work. And you should know this if you want to work as a remote worker.
As mentioned before you can work as a part-timer or even you can work as a full-timer.
But first, let’s discuss whether it is practical to be a Full-Time Remote Worker.
Yes, it is practical to do remote work as a full-time job. It is a very good way as it saves the commuting and transport expenses. It is a very great way to fulfill all your work-related tasks at your desirable place.
But one thing to note is that remote work has a quite flexible nature and it may not suit every person or every profession. Remote workers need to be flexible and have to adjust themselves according to the nature of their work.
So before making a final decision, it is better to look at all the possible pros and cons of remote work.
Every work arrangement has some advantages and disadvantages. So remote work is also having some remote work pros and cons. People who are new to this arrangement of work and are willing to adopt this criterion of remote working should consider the following pros and cons.
Pros:
1. Higher Productivity
Many types of research have revealed that people working from home or doing remote work are more productive as compared to the ones working in offices. Many reasons reveal why remote workers have high productivity.
One of the reasons can be a lesser distraction offered to remote workers because when you are working remotely, your colleague is not going to come up to your desk for discussing trivial or personal matters or have discussions about something in which you have no interest.
Another reason why remote workers have productivity is due to the timings of work. Remote workers are not bound to the limit of 9-5 office hours; they can also work outside these timings. This allows the remote workers to work at different hours when they are more productive. Employers also allow this flexible work behavior if the employees are accomplishing the tasks and meeting the deadlines on time.
2. Better Work-Life Balance
Another advantage of remote working is that it provides a better work-life balance. If you are working remotely then there is a high chance that you can have more time with your family. There is the reason why you can do this and how you can do this.
If you are working remotely, then you don’t have to waste your time commuting when you get off work. It saves your time and you can spend that time you have with your family. It is revealed that remote workers get to spend more time with their families so they are more satisfied and contented with their job as their job is allowing them to maintain a work-life balance.
From a broader perspective, this is also desirable for organizations because if the employees are happy and satisfied with their job then the employee turnover rate decreases.
3. Healthier Lifestyle
It is quite difficult to maintain a healthy lifestyle for an office worker. Many office workers complain that due to their tight and busy work schedules, they are not able to focus on their health and are not able to have a healthy lifestyle.
Office workers claim that due to their busy schedules and hustle they are not able to have healthy meals in afternoons or evenings.
But remote workers on the other hand have ample time saved in their hands. Because when you are working from your home, then you don’t have to get ready for the office or invest your time in transportation. You can use this time to maintain a healthier lifestyle. You can use this time for doing exercises and cooking yourself healthy meals.
4. More Savings And Lesser Carbon Footprint
Another benefit that remote workers get is more savings as compared to their fellow office workers. Remote workers get to save more money and reduce their carbon footprints. There are many reasons why remote workers can save more money.
Like if you are working remotely then you don’t have to pay for transportation bills, you don’t have to pay for parking tickets and you surely don’t need to eat lunch at fancy restaurants like your fellow office workers. This saves you a lot of money at the end of the year.
Apart from these advantages, you also reduce your carbon footprint by working remotely as you don’t have to commute to the office for work. It saves your fuel and also helps you in saving the environment a bit as well. So it makes you a bit eco-friendly and productive for the environment.
Cons
Apart from the pros of remote working, we have some cons as well. The disadvantages or cons are mentioned below
1. Communication Gaps
The most common disadvantage of working remotely is the lack of proper communication. Due to remote work pros and cons communication gaps arise among colleagues. In remote working, you cannot easily approach your coworker if you want to discuss anything or any matter. Sometimes you need to talk about some matters face to face.
But if you are a remote worker, then you has to depend on messages, calls, or video calls for communication. Why we are considering this as a disadvantage because many matters can be solved by face-to-face conversation which cannot be done by remote working. Video or conference calls are not as effective as face-to-face or real-time communications.
Remote working can sometimes affect teamwork or effective team collaboration. It sometimes affects the team members’ relationships and teamwork of the team as a whole.
2. Difficult To Stay Motivated
One should know that during remote working you are on your own with very little supervision and no coworkers around. So in such a working arrangement, it is very difficult to be dedicated and motivated toward the tasks and targets.
This is regarded as the most adverse disadvantage and the biggest remote work pros and cons face. Because at home it is very difficult to have an atmosphere like the office. The most common drawback of remote workers is that they get easily demotivate as compared to the ones working from offices.
Remote workers develop the habit of procrastinating and a laid-back sort of attitude. This is bad for not only the employee but for the organization as a whole.
3. Lack Of Social Interaction
Another disadvantage of working remotely is the lack of social interaction. When you work from home, you don’t interact with your employer, colleagues, or other people in the office.
This type of working organization will highly impact you if you are an outgoing or extrovert sort of a person. So if you are working alone from your home, it is more likely to be possible that you may feel lonely or alone.
So in such a situation, you may lose your interactive or communication skills. You may need to put extra effort into interacting with people or your coworkers. So this can be tiring and effort-taking for remote workers.
4. Management Challenges
There are many challenges faced by remote work pros and cons such as management challenges. Working from home may sound interesting and fun but there are many problems that remote workers have to face working from home.
They have to do everything on their own with very little or no active supervision. They have to learn how to use various apps and technologies on their own. They have to keep the internet connections intact all the time.
Remote workers have to manage all the things on their own that’s why they can have management issues and related problems.
Productivity Tips for Working Remotely
This article also provides you with tips that can help you while working remotely:
1. Have a Dedicated Workspace and Working Hours
Even if you are working from home it does not mean that you are free to do the work in whatever manner you like. You should have a proper workspace and a proper place where you can sit and do the offices work.
You must have dedicated working hours that are only for work. You should just work randomly its better to rather have a routine specified for work and dedicated working hours. If you cannot work from home you should try to get a place like a library or a coffee shop etc. In the end, all you need is a quiet place dedicated to work.
2. Getting Rid of Distractions
When we look at remote work pros and cons, distractions are the biggest challenge remote workers have to go through. According to a survey conducted by Salary.com in 2006, about two hours in a day are wasted by the remote worker because of distractions which can lead to a productivity loss of about $544 billion for a company in a year.
You should tell your family and kids that you are working so they do not disturb you while you are working. Remote workers have to face a lot of distractions as they are working from their homes with their families and kids.
So first you need to identify the areas where you are wasting your time. By identifying this you will be able to work on those areas and loopholes. For this, you can use the time tackling app and tools for better time management. It will be good if you schedule your tasks and make a proper routine for yourself.
So you should keep the distractions as few as possible and avoiding them and focusing on your work is your primary motive. You should make your place of work a place with lesser distraction and better focus.
3. Tackle the Small Stuff Later
When you are working from home you may face many distractions and sometimes the temptations are so strong that it is very difficult to resist them.
So even if there is something very urgent you should try to tackle it afterward when you are finished with your tasks. So try to keep focused and delay the unrelated things as much as you can.
You should understand the fact that your work is more important compared to the little distractions and small stuff. Even if you are working from your home it does not mean that you can do injustice with your work. You must be rightful and just towards your work and you must work with full motivation and dedication.
Final Thoughts: Everything You Need to Know Before Working Remotely
As mentioned before every work arrangement has some advantages and disadvantages, So remote work pros and cons. There is a need to look over all the aspects properly. Some advantages are very desirable for people who intend to opt for remote work. And there are challenges as well that remote workers have to face while working remotely.
Want to read more: Exhausted From Work? 9 Ways To Re-Establish Your Work-Life Balance