The Benefits and Challenges of Remote Work

Going on five years into the remote work boom the novelty factor has expired. No one is terribly surprised—or, for that matter, amused—when dogs or toddlers make a cameo in the background of important work calls. Businesses that don’t offer at least some remote work time are almost rare.

Digital commutes save companies money. They give employees the chance to spend more time at home, with their families. What’s not to love? And as artificial intelligence continues to automate and streamline routine tasks, it is easier than ever to be highly productive in a home office environment.

Yet as remote work approaches “new norm,” status, many people are finding that there are bittersweet elements to holding things down from the home office.

In this article, we look at both the benefits and challenges of remote work!

What Do Employers Look for in a Remote Work Arrangement?

Many business owners are happy to consider remote work arrangements because it can save them tens of thousands of dollars every year in overhead. That said, they also want to make sure that they aren’t tossing that money right back out the window in the form of diminished efficiency and productivity.

For the most part, work-from-home arrangements have been proven effective. Data taken over the last several years indicates that most people are more productive while working from home. This could owe to the format.

Employees can’t distract one another. They might take lunch breaks, but, without someone to dine with, they may elect to work at their desk and finish a little earlier in the day.

Remote meetings are also often more streamlined. Quick emails or Slack messages take the place of what might have otherwise been a ten-minute conversation.

From a productivity perspective, these things are good. Employers do still want:

• A sense of connection- People who feel close to their coworkers are more likely to stay at their jobs long-term. Employers struggle to develop those bonds in remote arrangements.

• Reasonable levels of oversite- It is a little harder to know what everyone is doing when they are working from home. This issue becomes less prominent every day as virtual collaboration tools improve.

• Productive spontaneity- One of the good things about boardroom-style meetings is that they allow for a free-flowing exchange of ideas that can be difficult to replicate remotely. Some people find that the natural disconnect of a video-conference style meeting is less effective than face-to-face interactions.

Companies that are doing seven to eight-figure transactions also often elect to leverage face-to-face interactions in some contexts. A person preparing to spend a significant sum of money is often more comfortable doing it after they have met the person they are dealing with.

These things being said, the overall transition into remote work has been positive. In the next few headings, we will take a look at some pros and cons to keep in mind.

Pro: More Personal Freedom

The big benefit of remote work that everyone talks about. More freedom. More time with your family. There are two primary ways this occurs:

• No more commutes- The average American spends thirty minutes each way commuting to work. Cutting that from your schedule immediately generates 250 free hours a year. More than ten full days' worth of time given back to a person.
• Small interactions- You can eat lunch with your partner, or say hello to your kids when they get home from school. These little moments also have a way of adding up over time.

Work-life balance is a huge buzzword in the world of health and wellness. These components of remote work contribute positively toward that end. However, remote work can, in some cases, give with one hand and take with the other.

Con: Less work/life balance?

There is a flip side. Home used to be the most natural way to transition out of your work frame of mind. People would use the commute back as a sort of cleansing ritual, preparing to be the version of themselves they are at home.

And once they got through the front door, they were done until the next day. Remote work blurs the lines between the personal and the professional. Sometimes in positive ways— as shown in our last heading— other times, in ways that aren’t much fun.

A person working from home is now more reachable than ever during times when they might previously not have been. They may also simply find themselves thinking about work more often, or even going back into their office for a half hour or so after dinner, just to get ready for the next day.

It can be hard to separate your personal and professional lives when they two are constantly bumping up against one another.

Pro: Money/Environmental Savings

The remote work shift has saved companies hundreds of thousands of dollars. It has also done a big favor to Mother Nature. Fewer commuters means fewer cars on the roads. Those 250 hours per year we mentioned earlier aren’t just a gift to the person saving time on their commute. They are also a huge benefit to the ozone layer.

Individuals also save money through remote work in several different ways. For one thing, they are spending less money on gas. They might even experience less car maintenance because they aren’t driving as much.

Finally, depending on their setup, they may save a little bit on taxes through home-office deductions. Not necessarily huge financial changes at the individual level, but every bit helps, right?

Con: Not All Work is Best Done at Home

There are many ways this might be true. Some people just love working in an office environment. Maybe they are extroverts. Maybe their best friends are all at work. Maybe they have an unhappy home life, and the forty hours they used to spend in the office were their only break from it.

It’s also simply true that not every business interaction is best had on a screen. The larger the deal, the less likely it will achieve a satisfactory conclusion through Zoom meetings and emails alone. When someone is going to write a six or seven-figure check, they often like to be able to look the person they are dealing with in the eye and shake their hand.

This aspect of business is admittedly changing. People are more and more used to doing high-stakes deals through remote communication channels. Still, it remains true that not everyone is at their best working from home.

Conclusion

It takes a certain kind of person to do well in a remote work environment. That person needs to be self-motivated. Perhaps slightly introverted. Maybe also financially well off? You don’t need to be a millionaire to succeed in the remote workspace, but some success factors occupy privileged territory.

Simply having an extra room in your house that can be dedicated only to work is a sign of good fortune in a country that has been in the throws of a wild housing market for nearly half a decade now.

Granted, you could make an argument that nearly everything is easier for the middle class and up. The broader point is that remote work is a useful, but imperfect development in the world of employment.

Yes, it saves businesses money. Sometimes, tons of money. Yes, it gives people more freedom and opportunity to explore personal interests.

No, it does not necessarily work well for everyone. We are still a ways off from the day when virtually all work that can be done remotely will be. That said, it’s not so difficult to imagine a future where this is the case.

While it seems fair to say that the remote work boom will do more good than harm, it helps to view the situation with full perspective. Some people will inevitably be disadvantaged by this development. Is there anything that can be done for them?

We don’t exactly know. Hybrid or shared office space work environments may serve as good transitional resources for people who don’t take well to remote work. However, they aren’t available everywhere.

Ultimately, like all progressions, the dissenting minority may not be very influential. Remote work is here to stay. For better or for worse, we have to make the best of it.