Overcoming the problems of remote working

If you read our 2020 workplace trends blog, you’ll have seen that it’s predicted that remote working will be a prominent trend this year. The number of people who work from home has increased by 104% since 2005, and studies have predicted that 73% of all departments will have remote workers by 2028. More of Gen Z are beginning to enter the workforce and remote working is one of their top priorities when applying for jobs.

When you look at the benefits of remote working, it’s no wonder why it’s gained so much popularity. Employers have seen improved productivity and employee loyalty; studies have shown that 76% of workers are more willing to stay with their company if they offer remote working. Employees also report benefits of less stress and a better work-life balance.

However, the words ‘remote working’ are not always spoken with positivity. Some employers are reluctant to introduce this style of flexible working due to reported problems with it. That’s why we decided to write this blog; today we’re going to help your business overcome some of the common problems of remote working.

Isolation and loneliness

It’s no secret that remote working can improve a lot of people’s productivity. Getting your head down at home or in a coffee shop with no workplace distractions of the phones ringing or colleagues talking about what they’re having for dinner that night; it’s a great way to focus and meet your deadlines. However, it’s very easy to start isolating yourself and becoming lonely because of the lack of interaction with others.

Encourage employees to arrange regular meetings or video calls with each other to catch up about projects, or organise team-building events to ensure that there is still an interaction between all colleagues so that remote workers don’t begin to feel isolated from the rest of the team.

Lack of team communication

Following on from the above is a lack of communication between colleagues. With some colleagues working remotely, it’s easy for teams to forget to communicate with each other or find that communication becomes difficult to have.

One way to resolve this is to ensure that there are regular meetings organised where the team can outline deadlines, share ideas and discuss who is working on particular tasks. Another way to overcome this problem of remote working is to invest in collaboration software such as Slack or Monday.com.

Unwinding from work

It’s quite common for employees to over-work themselves when remote working. Some people will do more than required just to prove that they are actually working when they’re not in the office; this can cause more stress than being in the office.

Set specific working hours for your employees and encourage them to switch off their devices when they’ve worked those hours. Another option is to invest in some project management software, like Monday.com which we spoke about in the point above, so that employees can record when they’re working on certain tasks or have completed them; this can prevent the feeling of needing to do more than required to show that they are working.

Cybersecurity

One of the common problems that comes up when talking about remote working is cybersecurity. Businesses have reported experience with cybersecurity issues due to remote working, particularly when employees are working in places where they will connect to public WiFi such as coffee shops. However, it is something that can be prevented.

Whether you’re introducing remote working or not, it is always worth investing in security software and installing this on all of your employees’ devices. You should also ensure that anything with company data on is password protected. An offline solution could also be screen filters.

Keeping track of working hours

When you introduce remote working to your business, you have to have trust in your employees that they are working their hours. However, if you do need to keep track of your employees’ working hours, the evolution of modern tech can help. Some visitor management systems can also be used for managing staff hours. Staff can clock in and out wherever they are working, and if the system you use has geotagging you can also see where they’ve been working.

Sign In App is the perfect solution when it comes to remote working. Staff can use the companion app to sign in from their mobile devices wherever they are working. A record of the hours they have worked will be available to view in the online portal on a visual timeline and reports can also be exported. To find out more about Sign In App, give us a call on 0333 016 3551. Alternatively, get started now with a 15 day free trial here.