Remote working and working from home – how to thrive in any situation

For many years now, there have been discussions around the benefits and drawbacks of people working remotely or from a home office.

This is because the freedom, or at least the impression of freedom, that comes hand in hand with remote or home working strikes a chord with people from across almost every industry.

Unquestionably, it is the sense of autonomy gained from these practices, coupled with the desire to be independent, that has often proved the deciding factor for many a person who opts to work remotely when the opportunity is there.

For numerous businesses now though, the spread of Covid-19 means that home working is essential rather than optional.

The world, however, will soon revert back to normality, with offices and businesses opening their doors once more. Nevertheless, even when this happens, the dialogue surrounding remote and home working will remain, revived and reinvigorated.

Remote working and working from home

To be clear, remote working means the opportunity to work from somewhere that isn’t a centralised office – this may mean working from home, but it can also mean working from almost anywhere else.

Working from home, meanwhile, can incorporate remote workers, though more often than not simply refers to people who are working from home instead of in the office for a day, a week, a month, or however long.

The pros

• For the employee or the freelancer, working from home means that you no longer need to commute – and this can save you both money and time, not to mention the benefits it brings to the planet. Maybe this will equate to an extra hour in bed or allow some more time to finish an ongoing project while still allowing yourself an evening.
• You have greater flexibility and more control over your day. However, this is relative and can vary depending upon the demands of your job and of your employer – you may, for instance, need to align your working day with other workers to fit in phone calls.
• Distractions are reduced – or you at least have more control over them. When you’re in the office you can be surrounded by any number of people making noise, taking phone calls, tapping at their keyboards, and generally providing interruptions. At home, you can create the environment that works best for you, as long as you are disciplined enough to do so.
• Your business won’t be restricted by geographical limitations. This means that you can expand your team to include any number of talented people, wherever they may be based.

The cons

• Nothing will ever quite measure up to genuine face-to-face interaction. Whether this is with friends, colleagues, or clients, this time can be invaluable. Without question, an office environment provides this, and more.To remedy this, a significant increase in effort will need to be made to maintain the connection to your network and nurture your relationships.
• It is highly likely that at some point you will experience technical difficulties – and, more specifically, experience technical difficulties without the safety net of an expert by your side.
• Your kitchen table doesn’t offer a professional environment to work in, nor a place to host meetings – offices, on the other hand, do. Though, this can be overcome with the implementation of a little willpower and a lot of organisation. Be sure to set boundaries and to tidy away your workspace when you ‘head home’ after a long day.

For the time being, it seems like many of us have little choice but to work from home. Nevertheless, this is sure to change, and hopefully soon. Before long, people will no doubt even be relishing the idea of a tough meeting rather than another argument with their four-year-old over Mini Cheddars.

Contact the team at Perrys to ensure your business transitions are as smooth as they possibly can be.