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Pulse of remote working reveals new digital divide
A new study shows a divide between those who take to remote working and those who don’t
Conclusion
There has been a sudden and sometimes uneasy transition to remote working after the lockdown. While it has its benefits like no commute time, more family time, more flexibility and control over work hours, it also poses its own problems. For new workers, distractions regarding family, chores, TV, pets and not having designated office space at home become key challenges to navigate. This also has an impact on their mental welfare which can affect both their well-being and productivity over time.
Seasoned full-time remote workers are better off on some counts like dealing with distractions, having more time to acclimatize to the challenges presented by working from home. However, they often face the same challenges that new remote workers do. It is about how these challenges are tackled.
The survey established that there were other significant factors that were challenges to remote working for both new and seasoned remote workers. Lack of clarity, lack of collaboration tools to align with their teams, and lack of equipment and material are also real challenges faced by workers.
Employers have to shoulder the responsibility of having the right tools and technology to enable smooth communication and remote collaborative structures among employees. There are collaborative workflow management tools such as Pipefy that can smooth out this process effectively, the value of which organizations must consider during these uncertain times.
Employers should have open channels of communication with their employees on a weekly basis to review possible bottlenecks to productivity. They should also build transparent work cultures by providing systems and opportunities that allow for a clear understanding of work distribution, more so because they’re not seeing people face to face.
Trust must be a two-way street. This makes it imperative to put in place tools that will enable employees to build confidence in the organization and vice-versa, where employers can follow their employees’ work and keep track of their productivity levels.
While technologies and collaboration tools can ease some of the burdens of remote working, it is also up to the workers themselves to use these tools optimally to solve their communication issues. There are also other ways to address potential distractions at home. Balancing one’s professional and personal life when working from home becomes crucial to this equation. Employees can also access time management tools and techniques that will help them manage their workload more effectively and segregate their domestic responsibilities with greater ease.
These collective steps can cumulatively ensure a happier, more productive workforce that can achieve a work-life balance and confidently address the challenges thrown up by this tumultuous period and possibly, the future.
