Technology has created a massive cultural shift in business as well as in life. Before 2000, the use of computers in the office was restricted to emails only. Today the computer is the office. Technology has become the backbone of the modern-day work ecosystem. It has not only affected the way we work but it has also revolutionized our work environment. Covid-19 has accelerated the situation by overturning the conventional nature of work.
The remote work culture becomes the trend of the ‘new normal’. Companies are now compelled to dig out “productivity anywhere and everywhere”. Focusing on someone sitting in a chair at your office for 9 hours a day is a wrong metric now. Instead, the focus is on the output, precisely on results.
According to Accenture’s 2021 Future of Work study, 83 percent of employees prefer hybrid work, and 63 percent of high-growth companies have already implemented a hybrid work model. As per the Owl Labs 2022 report, 52 percent of employees are ready to accept a pay cut of 5 percent or more of their annual salary to maintain the freedom of choosing their work location. With remote work, employees enjoy the flexibility of time, space, and thoughts. They can live their time and enjoy their work to the fullest, everywhere on earth.
So, clearly remote work is the most preferred option for a major chunk of millennials.
Employers too enjoy a great deal of profit from remote ecosystem. They enjoy higher productivity and reduced overhead costs. Buffer, 3M, Amazon, Twitter, Gitlab, Zapier, and Facebook are some of the big companies spearheading the movement.
Yet, some are reluctant!
Let’s clear away the myths that mystify your vision and detain you from the remote working ecosystem.
Myth 1: Remote workers are less productive
One of the scariest visions that every employer has, is a remote worker slouching on his cozy couch and watching Amazon Prime at your dime. While the picture is just the opposite!
With no commutes or hangouts in between, remote employees find it difficult to detach themselves from the work. It lingers a long time after we log out.
A study by CoSo Cloud shows that 77% of employees are more productive when working from home. Moreover, what do we think makes us proactive and productive? Hard work and constant monitoring? Not really. It’s a culmination of factors like exercise, self-care, healthy food, good sleep, time off, and hard work that boosts productivity.
Myth 2: Remote work stifles creativity
It’s again a wrong notion. You cannot put one at the gunpoint and ask him to be creative, right? Rigorous office protocols, power dynamics that often reject individual perspectives, occasional interferences of colleagues, various distractions at the office, and finally the over-familiar office ambiance can dampen the spirit of innovation and erode the creativity of on-site employees.
Creative performers choose their place of work as they never like to be restricted by any time zones or geography. Such boundaries cripple their thought process and retard their creative flow.
Myth 3: Lack of control and collaboration
Trust your employees. Respect their effort. Why do you need to put them under the radar 24*7? If they can hit your expectation and meet the deadlines, there shouldn’t be any feasible objection if they earn a longer weekend, right?
Nevertheless, you can anytime foster meaningful connections with your virtual employees through stacks of collaborative tools like SKYPE, SLACK, CLICK UP, TEAMS, etc. The tools allow you to engage your employees in interactive audio-video sessions, assign projects, track their progress, make them feel integrated into the company, and help them work as a team, smoothly and efficiently.
Myth 4: Unable to build up team spirit and destroys company culture
Though there is no denying that office camaraderie plays a significant role in bringing about positivity and team spirit, that does not equate with a good working culture of the company. What matters the most is whether the employees feel valued and appreciated and this is embedded in the culture. It plays a crucial role in creating a vibrant and energetic remote team.
Some virtual events come with a wider net of opportunities to interact with the off-site teams. Companies may introduce happy-hour sessions, where all the employees can meet virtually at a common platform and share everything from funny memes to their favourite Netflix shows. Virtual celebrations of events like Birthdays, Women’s Day, etc., and a couple of empathy workshops always help to create a strong bond among the employees.
Myth 5: Slow career growth
The opinion has been refuted in a survey conducted by Owl Labs. It states 35% of the employees think that remote working offers more opportunities for quality employment. Based on a 2021 Harvard Business School study report, remote workers have a higher propensity for career growth as they can allot more time to study, attend online classes, and upgrade their skills.
Bottomline
A high-performing remote team requires a high degree of commitment and responsibility on both sides. If you copy-paste the age-old office culture, you will surely be running into troubles in hiring and retaining top talents. Employers must come out of an office-centric, traditionalist mentality and embrace change in both work culture and the workspace.
Managing a remote team is not as easy as hopping on Zoom meetings and hoping for the best. A remote workspace requires strong leadership, and a creative HR policy to build the right infrastructure for understanding shared needs and expectations.
Remote working is not in the future; rather it’s the truth of the present. So bust the myths and let your decision be driven by reality, based on facts and figures.