The Pros and Cons of Remote Working

For many of us, remote working is either the dream or has already become a reality. Growth in remote working in the past 5 years have been in the ball range of 44%. In the last 12 years, this number skyrocketed to 159%. Although remote work produces a slew of benefits for both the employer and employees, there are also some setbacks that come with remote working. 

If you think the #workfromhome lifestyle is drinking margaritas and working from a laptop in cabanas on a sunny oasis, you’re in for a kick.

Remote working cuts overhead costs but introduces the need to formulate a system that keeps employees productive and on track with their tasks without surveillance. It provides flexibility, but can often blur the healthy separation between home life and work. It allows companies to expand their talent pool globally, however, increases cross-cultural miscommunication and loneliness.

Before you make your decision to go remote, have a glance at the pros and cons.

The Pros of Remote Working

Non-Linear Work Schedules

Imagine being in control of your entire day and work schedule. Your commute to work now consists of a 3-second walk from your bedroom to your designated home office (this could be a kitchen counter). No more waiting in traffic, slurping your first coffee of the day grudgingly looking at the clock worrying about being late into the office.

Remote working gives you complete flexibility in how to manage your day. If you’re someone who’s extremely organized and self-motivated, remote working might be perfect for you.

You can wake up when your body wants to wake up. Or you can take a mid-day break to walk the dog, have coffee with a friend, allowing you to reset and be more productive. 

Remote working doesn’t force people into time constraints of a 9-5, instead, they can choose to work whenever their productivity is at the max, and take breaks when they need. 

All remote companies like Gitlab and Netflix emphasize the importance of the quality of output, rather than the time you put in.

Increase in Productivity

In a remote setting, managers are faced with a common problem. How do they make sure their employees are actually working, rather than spending hours watching videos on Youtube or gaming? The truth is this. Just because someone is in an office, doesn’t mean they’re always fully being productive. Instead, managers need to pivot towards a system of trust, self-accountability, and a stellar project management tool to make sure projects are being completed in a timely manner. This is a better way to track whether work is being completed, rather than staring at the backs of your employees through a glass door.

Research shows that 77% of people feel more productive working remotely than not. People tend to be appreciative of the freedom and trust they gain from a remote lifestyle, and they’re more likely to be more motivated to put in the work to produce great results because that’s the only thing they’re assessed by. Imagine this: I work for a couple of hours in the morning, then spend a couple of hours with my family enjoying a nice day out in the good weather, and then clock back in in the evening when it’s silent, dark, and non-distracting. I feel a surge of motivation and energy from the wonderful day I’ve had, to answer messages from colleagues and put some hours into the project I’ve been working on. Doesn’t that sound better than showing up at the office tired and forcing myself to be there for 8 hours consecutively? You decide.

Opportunity to expand your horizons

Having work to do honestly makes vacations and trips even better. I took my work with me while traveling to Paris, then Barcelona and Spain this year; and all those hours I could have been bored out of my mind in airport layovers and in downtime, to getting Omicron, work was always there to entertain. It also helped pay for some of the bills I was accruing abroad.

Travelling is inspiring. It allows you to breach cultures and worlds that are far beyond your own comfort zone and reality. When you actually sit down to work after days of experiencing adventures and meeting new people, you can sometimes enter a deep state of flow. I was definitely more relaxed sitting on a rooftop overlooking the city in 15 degrees, than the minus 15-degree weather back in Vancouver.  40% of our creative ability is actually produced through the rest. 

The Cons of Remote Working

Isolation and Loneliness

Although we all probably worked and made friends through Zoom by this point; you have to admit, nothing beats face-to-face interaction for relationship building. Meaning and emotion can often be lost through written communication, as much as it is nice to have conciseness. 

In an all-remote company, employees might feel even greater distance from their colleagues because of cultural and geographical distance, especially if there are no formal introduction and onboarding tactics in place. In co-working environments, people naturally have to see each other and are more likely to engage in social activities after work. These informal interactions are where the heart of relationships is built. And having great relationships at work improves morale, retention, and team camaraderie. 

The majority of people work from home, which might mean the majority of the time they’re stuck indoors, with no human connection outside of virtual. This can lead to problems with anxiety, isolation, and loneliness. It can be quite an adjustment to go through.

Losing the Key Objectives at Work

In co-working environments, collaboration happens easily and frequently. You can gather a bunch of people in a room and have a quick whiteboard session—suddenly the board is filled up with new ideas. Being physically together, naturally produces a feeling that you’re a part of something—a part of a team. On this team, there are key objectives you’re working towards together. This is what keeps the momentum going.

In remote settings, it’s harder to build up this momentum, arguably. People adhere to tasks by task but often can lose track of what it’s all building towards. Especially for employees that are more purpose or goal-driven, losing these objectives can cause them to feel like their overall contribution is meaningless because they lack the ongoing validation and certainty that comes from being physically present with their team players.

Being the Manager of One

You can be the most self-motivated individual out there, but if you don’t enjoy your work, it can be hard sometimes to motivate yourself to get out of bed and carry out the tasks for the day. This can lead to procrastination, disengagement, and bad results.

Not everyone is lucky to have their dream jobs. Sometimes having a designated place to do work and being around other people in the company can help streamline your day and force you to complete the tasks at hand. Working from your home can actually be more distracting for some because there’s always ‘something’ that seems more pleasant than doing work itself.

Working remotely requires a fair degree of discipline and self-management, and unfortunately, it’s not everyone’s cup of tea.

Conclusion

I personally would encourage everyone to try working remotely at least once in their life, to see if they like it. I think the majority of people would love it and never look back, but there are some precautions when it comes to this. Not all remote work is created equally. It also depends on personalities. Some people love working autonomously, but also need the sense they have a team to fall back on, and support at work. If the latter is missing from the equation, it can actually produce dissatisfaction and a more disengaged workforce.