Remote work is not all lounging in pajama pants and taking your calls from the couch. If working from home has taught us anything, it’s better time management, self-discipline, and never facing your desktop camera towards an open door. I mean, we all got the occasional “Oh snap, didn’t know you’re in a meeting” from your roommate or significant other, but kids – kids are a whole different story – these little ones kick the door open and live their best life. Live. While you’re in a meeting. With little to no care in the world.
Jokes aside, there is such a thing as achieving an ideal work-life balance. In fact, working from home is a blessing to many. Parents who work long hours see this as an opportunity to spend more quality time with family; long commutes to and from work were replaced with family lunches and breaks (or laundry). The flexibility of getting work done outside of traditional working hours is a huge asset. However, managing one’s time and self-discipline, with both playing a big role in your work performance, are tougher to control.
One would think that physically working under a manager or boss will help you get more work done, when in fact, once goals are clearly communicated, employees know what is expected of them and strive to perform to the best of their capabilities, independently.
That said, we’ve put together some of the most popular WFH myths and they’ve been debunked! 👊🏼
- Working from home will make you lazy & unproductive.
You’d be surprised to learn how much remote work culture has changed over the course of the pandemic. As the seasons change, we’ve gone from working in our cozy PJs and sipping hot coffee to lounging by a pool, laptop in one hand and an iced coffee in the other. There’s no denying that some people can in fact be highly productive and get their work done while enjoying some time out in the sun; you’ve likely seen people by the beach with their laptops, getting their work done. Digital nomads are the OG workers to debunk this myth, traveling around the world with their work and good humor.
According to a study by S&P Global, CEOs have seen a 41% increase in overall productivity, a 20% increase in internal collaboration time, and, interestingly, a 19% increase in external meeting time. The Unilever Group CEO, Alan Jope, proclaimed on the company’s second-quarter earnings call, “I think as a result of all of that, we’ve seen record levels of employee engagement. In fact, our employee well-being score is up by 14%.”
- Working remotely is just a temporary solution.
It’s safe to say, WFH is here to stay. It’s been over a year now and the majority of the workforce is working from home. Not to mention, the idea of the hybrid-work model is probably going to be adapted by many industries. With unvaccinated people and new COVID-19 variants, things still look unsettled to go back to the office full time. 52% of the global workforce currently works from home at least once a week. Experts expect this number to grow in the coming years. This means remote working arrangements might soon become the new normal.
A survey conducted by PWC shows that remote working during the pandemic has been an overwhelming success for both employees and employers. A report published by BBC after surveying 4,700 knowledge workers found that the majority of these workers don’t want to return to the old way of working. And 72% of these workers said that they wanted a hybrid remote-office model in the post-covid world.
- It’s hard to stay connected.
Gone are the days where online communication is limited. Just because there are no coworkers around doesn’t mean you’re on your own. Thankfully, there are a ton of ways you can translate your team culture into a virtual setting. Teams have started incorporating virtual office lunches, coffee breaks, one-on-one video calls, and other creative ways to bond with colleagues and stay connected. Moreover, many companies started scheduling regular virtual hangouts where the team gets to share stories, play trivia, and unwind together. Socializing still happens, it just takes place online.
There you have it! The myths surrounding “less productivity” and “poor communication” are debunked. As a remote worker, you’ll want to continue trying things out! Find out how you can best stay refreshed while working from home and utlimately conquer that mute button! 😎
Written by Perry Mourtagy – Mentorly Social Media Manager