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Most Difficult Aspects Of Remote Work And How To Overcome Them

Due to the pandemic the majority of industries have switched to either a hybrid or remote workforce. While there are definitely positives to working in a remote environment, such as increased freedom and flexibility, there are many challenges as well. Below, we look at what those challenges are, and we seek advice from successful C-level executives and Founders on how to overcome those difficulties.

Problems with Technology 

In order to work effectively from a distance, you must have reliable WiFi. An unreliable internet connection will slow productivity considerably. If your home is not conducive to working remotely, then find a local coffee shop, bookstore, friend’s house, or even a coworking space to conduct your role.

“Another technological concern is cyber attacks and data security. A solution to this concern would be to implement multi-factor authentication,” says Lauren Kleinman, Co-Founder of The Quality Edit . “Have your employees present multiple forms of ID to access corporate networks. This also enables the flagging of suspicious attempts to access networks.”

Easy to Become Distracted

It’s very easy to become distracted when you’re working remotely, especially if you’re working from home. There is always going to be laundry to do, dishes to wash, and errands to run.

“You might also have to deal with distractions outside of your control, such as a noisy neighbor or construction outside your door. If this becomes a constant problem, work elsewhere,” says Dylan Arthur Garber, Co-Founder of Audien Hearing. “If you want to stay in your home, consider setting up a makeshift office in your basement, away from easily detectable noises. If that’s not an option, consider a library or a cafe that would offer an abundance of white noise.”

Hard to Stay Motivated

“When you’re working from afar, you might not have the same schedule you once had when you were working in your office. Without a strict schedule, it can be difficult to stay motivated. To counteract this, come up with a structured routine. Set your alarm clock for the same time everyday. It can be later than when you had to commute, but consistency is key,” says Remon Aziz, Chief Operating Officer of Advantage Rent A Car.

It’s also important to set boundaries. Stay off social media, unless it’s work-related and limit personal calls to your lunch break. By sticking to a routine, you’re more likely to stay motivated and engaged.

Loneliness is Real 

“Due to a lack of social interaction, loneliness is not only real, but common. We were used to working side-by-side with our coworkers. If we had a question, we could easily walk to the next cubicle or office and have a face-to-face conversation. Coffee breaks were common and general banter would fill the air. Now, I’m surrounded by silence,” says Shaun Price, Head of Customer Acquisition for MitoQ.

“I’ve had to really work at messaging colleagues throughout the day, not only for brainstorming ideas, but also just to check-in and see how they’re doing. I also try to get out of the house and meet a coworker or friend for lunch for that crucial face-to-face time,” says Price.

Team-Building Can be Difficult

A lack of in-person interaction can make team-building onerous. It’s hard to bond as a team if you only see each other over Zoom or Google Meet. While weekly video meetings can help, as well as 1:1 check-ins, it’s not the same as standing around the water cooler. “We offer volunteer opportunities outside of the office. This is a great way for us as a company to give back to the community, while bonding as a team at the same time,” says Adam Mitchell, CEO of SponsorPulse. “Obviously these volunteer opportunities are optional, but we’ve had a great turnout because people are desperate for that face-to-face interaction.”

Another option is to budget for in-person events. Invite all of your remote employees to key company-wide events, and have fun activities that allow everyone to let loose and get to know each other in a stress-free setting.

Communication Can be Misinterpreted

While it’s easy to gauge someone’s tone of voice in person, it’s difficult over an email or text. You have to think twice about making that joke, because it may come off the wrong way without a person reading your facial expressions, and hearing your tone of voice.

Another issue is lack of responsiveness. “In person, you can walk right up to a person and they have to respond to you in real time. When you’re working virtually, they may take hours or even days to get back to you. This can be frustrating because you don’t know if they’re purposefully ignoring you, or if they’re just unavailable”, says Ryan Rockefeller, Co-Founder and CEO of Cleared.

“To fix this issue, I’d suggest using a daily discussion tool’s features to your advantage. Let your coworkers see if you have your notifications paused. If you’re taking a personal day, let your leadership know ahead of time, and put an away message or icon up to let them know you’re truly unavailable”, says Matt Woods, Co-Founder and CEO of SOLD.com.

Hard to Find a Healthy Work-Life Balance

While many tout a healthy work-life balance as a benefit of working remotely, many employees report they’re actually overworked. If your home is your office, then you never really leave work. If you see a work email come in at 9:00 pm, it’s easy to quickly respond to it because your laptop is right there. The problem is that quick email can turn into 10 “quick” emails, and you just added an extra hour of work.

To combat this, Omid Semino, CEO and Founder of Diamond Mansion says, “it’s imperative to set a time each day where you’re off the clock. Log out of Slack and your work email on both your phone and your computer. By setting boundaries, you’re less likely to burnout. “

Taking Time Off

Similar to the challenge of being overworked, is the difficulty of taking a true vacation. Vacations are a great time to unplug and recharge, but for remote workers, it can be hard to stop working for a week. You already have a flexible schedule, so sometimes the expectation is that you would continue to work while you’re away.

“It’s important to let your managers and coworkers know that you’re going to be gone. Tell them in your weekly video call, remind them in Slack, send an email to your clients. It’s critical that people are aware that you’re going to be unavailable,” says Ryan Rottman, Co-Founder and CEO of OSDB. “If you need to hand off a project to someone, then do it. Set an away message. By putting some effort in ahead of your trip, you’ll be able to truly relax stress-free.”

Working in Different Timezones

One of the benefits of a remote workforce is that you can hire candidates from anywhere. You’re not limited to your geographical region. “Our job openings are now open to applications from anywhere, which has made us an even more distributed company over the course of the pandemic,” says Zachary Seward, CEO and Co-Founder of Quartz. “Today, half of our staff is outside the New York area, compared to about a third in Before Times.”

The downside though is that you’ll most likely hire employees in different timezones. This can be particularly challenging if you need to schedule a team meeting, or even ask a quick question. You might have to wait a whole day before hearing a response.

“The best way to overcome the time difference is to use a tool such as World Time Buddy. It allows you to easily schedule meetings and phone calls from anywhere in the world,” says Ann McFerran, CEO of Glamnetic. “Another tip is to encourage your teammates to keep to a regular schedule. If they’re six hours ahead of you for instance, you know you’ll need to reach out at the beginning of your day, to catch them at the tail end of theirs.”

Bias Against Remote Workers 

Sometimes there’s a bias against remote workers. In-person workers feel like their remote counterparts aren’t really working when they’re at home. Bosses can also favor in-person employees. There’s an unconscious bias called a “proximity bias” that occurs when you’re face-to-face. So, remote workers are sometimes paid less and promoted less frequently.

In fact though, remote employees are more productive. “Before the pandemic we only had about 5% of our people working remotely at any given time. Now we’re at 85% fully remote,” said Bob Biesterfeld, CEO of C.H. Robinson “We’ve learned that whereas in the past we probably didn’t think we could, we’ve been able to maintain and even improve productivity across the organization.”

While there are clearly difficulties working remotely, many of them can be remedied. If a hybrid or remote model works for your company, don’t be afraid of the supposed challenges. Through the use of technology, communication, and a little effort, your business will succeed with a remote workforce.


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Most Difficult Aspects Of Remote Work And How To Overcome Them

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