Remote working comes with many benefits, however, working from home can also feel like working in a void. Here are some potential pitfalls to working remotely.
Productivity
Productivity is probably one of the biggest concerns employers have with employees working from home. Individual productivity has not suffered as much as some might have feared with employees more productive now than before lockdown. What should be a cause for concern is the impact on team productivity. For many employees, homeworking was detrimental to collaboration with other team members.
Human connection
Feeling disadvantaged as some team members develop face to face in-person relationships with their managers. Experiencing isolation and missing genuine interaction with colleagues and building that connection virtually can be difficult.
Distractions
Juggling work and home life can be intense and overwhelming. Stay focused and avoid distractions like working with the tv on in the background, frequently checking your mobile phone, extended lunch breaks. Treat working from home as you would working in the office.
Sharing your workspace with other members of the household can also pose as a distraction. Hopefully, you are not easily distracted by household chores like popping the washing machine or dishwasher on.
Mental health & Wellbeing checks
Mental wellbeing is one of the top challenges, not having your team close by to bounce ideas off. Businesses have had to increase their investment in wellbeing over the past year to manage mental health issues.
Burnout, the condition when employees fall into a state of emotional or mental exhaustion caused by prolonged stressful professional experiences, feeling emotionally drained and not being able to meet the demands of the workplace, is now prevalent as many employees struggle to switch off. Try to maintain a good work-life balance and make time to attend those all-important health checks.
Dedicated workspace
Creating a dedicated workspace is so important, knowing that when you are in that zone you are in work mode. There has been an increase in back complaints, people struggling with poor posture working from their dining room table or even their bed. Try and make sure you have a suitable, preferable ergonomic chair and monitor screen at the correct eye level.
Household costs
Hybrid working means costs of running a home office being shifted onto employees. Be prepared that your food and utility bills will likely increase when working from home. You may be able to claim tax relief for additional household costs if you must work at home regularly, either for all or part of the week.
Out of sight, out of mind?
Concerns over missing out on internal opportunities i.e. projects, promotions, training. Be proactive in looking for ways to be more visible at work whilst working remotely. Work with your employer to find ways of demonstrating that you can work productively to increase your scope for recognition.
Team Building
Social events might be a distance option if you live miles away from your workplace and have never needed to visit the office for in-person meetings. You may miss being able to have casual chats about things other than work.
Every problem has a solution. Work with your employer to identify ways to avoid these potential pitfalls from occurring and make for a more streamline working practice.
Calling all candidates! Looking for a fully remote IT job opportunity? Head to www.spectrumit.co.uk/job-search and type remote into the search bar to apply to the latest remote IT jobs in the UK.