What Is The New Normal?

Remote Working Is The New Normal

Many people are resorting to remote working amid the coronavirus pandemic. What used to be a far-fetched dream is now turning into reality as businesses go remote. All signs were pointing towards a remote work future even before the Covid-19 outbreak. Different organizations had been considering the ideology of working from home, thanks to advancements in technology. The reality is finally dawning as businesses order employees to work from home with remote working becoming a new norm. The style of working is a trend that is already growing fast as more people continue to utilize technology in their business operations.

Remote work is a possibility for businesses to get work done even with the lockdown restrictions. With better technology and innovations, workers can be productive while miles away from the office. The concept of working from home has opened up a range of possibilities regarding different ways of structuring businesses. For example, it allows businesses to reduce office operations and the need for a bigger office space. Tech companies can greatly benefit from remote working by acquiring experts from different geographical locations. However, some people may have problems transitioning from in-office to remote work, mainly because they don’t know how to make it successful. In this guide, we explain how you can successfully transit to remote working amidst the new norm of working from home.

Benefits Of Remote Working

There are many reasons for transiting to remote working during this time of coronavirus. For beginners, remote working cuts out commuting, increases employee productivity with a better work/life balance. Remote working has been shown to have amazing benefits for businesses and workers alike. There is greater flexibility when working from home since employees can manage their time and convenience. Remote working gives employees more flexibility that helps employees be more focused and committed to work, which can translate to higher efficiency. Also, remote working helps beat geographical restrictions and barriers to physical locations. This means a business can acquire employees from different regions without being restricted.

The new working style can make a better work/life balance for employees by allowing them to live far away from their workplaces. Better work/life balance is an important part of increasing productivity. When employees work from home, they have the advantage of spending more time with their families. This is shown to help employees with their health since remote working is less stressful. The comforts of working from home are critical to the health of any employee. It enhances employee health and productivity in some workers, such as reducing the levels of stress.

Working from home increases employee productivity while reducing operating costs for businesses. The concept can save money in the long run with a reduction in office operations. With a flexible working arrangement, this new form can become permanent. However, the success of remote working requires employees to develop the right personality to work fulltime and deal with any distractions.

How To Transition Into Remote Working

Remote working may seem difficult at first, but once things get on track, it can create higher productivity. The new culture can be a bit complex for employees accustomed to the traditional office. This means workers can be overwhelmed in the beginning. However, if you are disciplined and organized, it is easy to settle into the virtual world of remote operations.

Some transitions to remote working haven’t been smooth, with companies asking inappropriate things about their staff. For example, the remote working through the use of technology can raise a growing expectation of being available around the clock. This can be an issue for employees and interfere with the divisions that exist between work and non-work time. In most cases, remote working does away with the 8-5 employee schedule that disappears as employees have to work into the night. This problem can create health issues and burnout for employees. Some businesses are requiring remote workers to be available for video conferencing at odd times.

Transition to remote working is a huge change for everyone and, most times, challenging. However, employees have to adapt quickly and embrace remote work to remain competitive. In unlocking the potential of remote work, you must be thinking of proper strategies, embracing the right mindset, and empowering workers with effective workplace tools. Some remote working challenges, such as lack of social interaction, can be solved by the right personality and mentality.

People have to adjust to becoming effective remote workers and beat the isolation from their colleagues. This adjustment can involve creating a culture where employees remain accountable and stay productive. Leaders have to show trust in remote workers and show confidence in their ability to deliver on time. This entails offering autonomy to remote workers, entrusting their decisions, and improving transparency through better communication.

Digital discipline in remote working is an important part of making it a success. The discipline is the secret ingredient in sustaining remote working. The transition to remote working entails developing some discipline and doing away with all distractions. For example, employees have to learn how to keep the television, social media, and phone noise out of reach since they are likely to cause unnecessary noise.

Motivation can also become a problem for remote workers compared to office workers since there is no supervision. If individuals cannot be disciplined enough to keep deadlines and motivate themselves, they can struggle with working from home. Since employees shift to a different culture, employers have to show confidence and trust in their staff.

Communication is critical during remote work and one that will make the transition successful. Since employees are working from home, it is easy to feel detached from the organization’s bigger purpose. However, regular meetings can motivate your staff to remain steadfast to the overall goal. Instead of using emails for communication, consider chatting with your employees in real-time through conferencing. The communication is one way of instilling confidence in the employees that will help with motivation.

Conclusion

There has been a rapid and necessary shift towards remote work in 2020, which would well become permanent for many people. This growing trend is effective in increasing employee productivity and saving on several operational costs for companies. Digital technology has made it possible for businesses to roll out remote working for employees. In the process, businesses around the world are encouraging their staff to work from home to reduce operational costs. This need for remote working is becoming more attractive for companies looking to survive the crisis. In ten years, we will be looking back to 2020 as the year when remote working became normal for businesses worldwide.

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Written by Carl Fransen

posted on July 30, 2020

Carl Fransen

My passion is to make my mark on the world in a positive and lasting way. I want to set an example for my son that his father can compete with integrity in today’s world, be very successful, and leave the world a better place for him.

Combining my technical/business-based education with a long career steadily progressing up the corporate ladder, I decided to build a company that held true to my values. So, I founded and designed the next generation of IT support firm: CTECH Consulting Group Inc. We are a completely automated, cloud-based IT company designed to compete against any other IT firm without the overhead. We promote a lifestyle to all our staff where they can work anywhere, at any time, access any information on any device that is relevant to their job, and collaborate with anyone they want to.