Everything You Need to Know About Remote Work

Everything You Need to Know About Remote Work

From commuting costs spiraling out of control to better management of your time to having the liberty to follow your passion, more people are now choosing to work remotely. From the look of things, the trend is not going to decrease in the nearest future. According to Global Workplace Analytics, 4.3 million people in the United States work from home at least 50% of the time.

However, if you are considering joining the increasing ranks of those working remotely, it will be nice for you to know certain things about this innovative way of working.

The Advantages of Working Remotely

Being independent of an irritating boss at work is not the only benefit of working remotely. Some others will be listed in this part of the piece, and they are as follows:

• Flexibility

The advent of the Internet has changed the way a lot of things are done, particularly regarding work. For example, gone are the days when women have to choose between taking care of their babies or having a job for sustenance.

By working remotely, a lady can still do her job from home while nursing her baby, and a father can spend more time with his kids. There is a lot of flexibility in working remotely. It allows you to have more time for your loved ones or even to sleep and rest. According to Buffer, 40% of respondents stated that the biggest advantage of remote work is the flexible schedule.

• Better Pay

Of course, this is the part that will interest many readers the most. A study done by Global Workplace Analytics and FlexJobs showed that the average yearly income for most remote workers is $4,000 higher than those who are not. This is in addition to being able to save a lot more. In a 2019 survey done by State of Remote Work, 26% of remote workers earned more than $100,000 a year. In comparison, only 8% of those who are not remote workers made more than $100,000 on an annual basis.

• Location Independence

Being a virtual (or remote) worker means you can work from anywhere. You do not have to go to a fixed address or physical location that serves as your office. You can be enjoying a cup of tea in an eatery, and you are still doing your work. You can be lounging off a beach in Thailand, and you are still working. As a remote worker, all you need mainly is your device and reliable Internet connection.

• Freedom of Dressing

Working in a conventional office means you often have to conform with a dress code. Many organizations are strict with this and can even dismiss a member of staff for failing to adhere to the dress code. However, if you are working remotely, you do not have to bother yourself with a dress code as you are usually free to wear whatever you are comfortable in unless.

• Increased Savings

If you are doing a regular office job, you are inevitably going to end up spending a lot of money on transportation. It does not matter whether you take the public metro or use your own car which you will fuel and maintain regularly, you will have to spend on transport. Working in a traditional office also means you will have to spend on feeding. You may have to visit eateries during your break or order for meals.

Doing a conventional job also means you need to buy clothes or official outfits that will improve your appearance while going to the office. All these add up to a lot of expenses at the end of the day. However, with remote work, you have no business spending on transport because you often work from home. You also do not need to spend on food as you can cook at home and there will also be no extravagant spending on fashion.

As a remote worker, you simply wear what you are comfortable with because you often do not need to impress anyone in the office. As a remote worker, a comfortable part of your home is typically your ‘office’. In all, you are able to save a lot more as a remote worker. This is a financial boost that radically transforms the life of practically anyone.

• Environment-Friendly Nature

At a time when the entire planet is concerned about the environment and the devastating effects of climate change, it is heartwarming to know that you can help save the planet by just being a remote worker. Working virtually means you do not patronize public or private transport as much. Considering the fact that vehicles are some of the main producers of pollutants in the atmosphere, reduced usage of cars is good news for the environment.

Demerits of Working Remotely

Some of the benefits of working remotely have been outlined above, but it is accurate to say that there are some disadvantages too. Here are some of the demerits associated with remote work:

• Distraction

Unless you are highly disciplined, working remotely may not be for you. This is because some people cannot work well on their own without any supervision from a boss. Working from home for such people can be a total mess. From the television to the crying babies, a remote worker will face distractions even when working from home.

• Intensity

Although it sounds very cool to be a remote worker, you need to know that it can become pretty intensive very quickly. As a remote worker, expect a torrent of tasks and responsibilities dumped on you. You are expected to do all of these without any assistance or supervision. Remote work can be so intense that you can be at the same spot all day doing nothing but work. Your clients can engage you all day, and you will barely have time to relax.

• Fun Factor is Reduced

   Working at an office doing a regular and physical work means you get to meet your colleagues in the office cafeteria and exchange pleasantries. You can even make friends with new clients who visit your office for one thing or the other. Working remotely means there will be no such social interactions. There is no colleague you are going gist with when taking a beverage because everything is done online. Hence, there is no room for social activities stemming from physical interactions.

• Communication Issues

One major challenge you need to prepare for is that concerning communication. As someone working virtually, you are most likely going to communicate with someone in another part of the globe at one time or the other. What this implies is that you may have to wake up at night or communicate with someone who is either sleepy or cannot even speak your language.

You may have to devise innovative, communicative strategies for proper flow on both ends. Sometimes, all you need to do to solve the communication problem is to just listen more or get a new headset. Excellent and prompt communication is an important ingredient of success for a remote worker.

Where You Can Find Remote Work

 If you decide to do some remote work, some websites are designed specially to assist you. Such websites have a lot of opportunities for remote work. The best examples of such websites are Freelancer, People Per Hour, We Work Remotely, Upwork, Guru, Angel List, Growth Hackers, and Remotive.

Maximizing Productivity as a Remote Worker

To succeed as a remote worker, you need to have some things in place. Here are some hints that can help you become more productive with your remote work:

• Punctuality is the soul of business. Design a timetable that will accommodate all your work for the day and be disciplined. Adhere to your time plan, and your clients or bosses will be happy. You can also use mobile applications to help you with time management.

 

• Communication is everything when working remotely. Invest in the best audio gear like high-quality headsets so those on the other side can hear you properly, and you can communicate very well with them too.
• Find time to rest. By creating time to relax and rest, you can regain your energy quickly and resume work. Try as much as possible not to overwork yourself.

 

• Eliminate distractions. As hinted earlier, there will be distractions and they can ruin your work if care is not taken. Once again, mobile applications can help you get rid of distractions like your smartphones.

 

• Give regular updates. Working remotely means you are not in the same physical location as your boss or clients. Hence, you should make it a habit to communicate regularly. This can be done using phone calls, emails, chats or any other method of communication preferred by both parties.

Conclusion

Apparently, remote work is the future. According to LinkedIn, 57% of workers desire to work from home at least three days a week. However, it also has its benefits and disadvantages. Succeeding as a remote worker means knowing all that is there to know about this amazing way to work. By incorporating the productivity tips, you should be able to make the best of your life as a remote worker.