This is a user generated content for MyStory, a YourStory initiative to enable its community to contribute and have their voices heard. The views and writings here reflect that of the author and not of YourStory.
Working from home can work for you
Working from home has immense benefits and it’s time to adopt this trend for the benefit of remote employees.
This is a user generated content for MyStory, a YourStory initiative to enable its community to contribute and have their voices heard. The views and writings here reflect that of the author and not of YourStory.
A reader of mine, let’s call him Mike, once asked me:
Why my boss hates it when I ask him if I can finish my work from home? After all I am a creative designer and I need little input from my co-workers. And then, my mind works best when there is as little distraction as possible, the best case scenario─my own home. On top of that my boss rents office cubicles. He would save a lot of money by me working from home.
The case goes in favor of Mike. After all, we have so much of technology available to effectively manage remote employees and save hoards of money.
If you think that working from home will lead to less collaboration and productivity it’s time to think about the benefits of embracing your comfort zone. These numbers will give you a more clear idea about what I’m trying to say here -
According to a 2015 report by Bureau of Labor Statistics, about a quarter of employed workforce worked from home, full and part time. And the number is increasing today.
Productivity and comfort zone are two very good friends. And you should allow them to meet each other from time to time. Lets us see why:
More Time Saved
When working face-to-face correcting a co-worker can lead to chaos. You may also find yourself stuck in those lengthy meetings where you get lost in a stream of arguments which ultimately leads to time wastage.
But when you collaborate remotely you don't waste time and get things done faster. You always have time to respond to situations effectively. And this makes collaboration much more easy and non-chaotic.
Also, know that collectivism works for only certain tasks like─goal setting, planning and execution. Individualism works for collective as well as creative tasks which include─designing, writing, composing, coding, and many more.
Individualism fairs more than Collectivism
When working in a team ideas keep flowing and you may think that you are doing some real progress. But you may be wrong.
When working alone you may enter that state, where there is no reason to doubt your work. At that time you become a self learner. You believe in your own work by not relying on others. And that’s when your confidence boosts up at the subconscious level.
Many great artists, musicians, entrepreneurs and leaders always craved for this personal space and achieved marvelous results by embracing it.
Change is the Only Constant─And We Should Adopt It ASAP
A major change remote working brings on the table is the change in control and trust mechanism. At some point of time it will feel to your employer as if you are not working with a complete sense of responsibility (it is not a problem now as we have the technology!).
So they think it’s best to keep the things the way they are. But I have seen many people who are non-adaptive to change and these are the ones that struggle later. Many managers know this and have now embraced the change successfully by switching to tools like ProofHub.
The Solution to─BRAINSTORMING
Today, there are many teams that struggle to brainstorm when working remotely. Maybe because they have not adopted online project management tools. This moment is on a rise and is going mainstream. But those who are still lacking it struggle to find a solution to it.
Also, many employers have figured out how to make knowledge sharing work for their teams to fire up innovative solutions. And these are the ones who know about giving that open space to their employees.
The Final Take
Working from home has other benefits as well. No lined up traffic highways, better work/life balance, more time to move around with flexible work environments and less hectic atmosphere to give shape to bigger ideas that other wise got lost in the rubble of daily work rituals.
We have already seen some good to go freelancers who are living the dream. Check out this link: Top 11 Freelancers.
In the end one thing will always remain the same─What can you bring on the table for your boss? If this is valuable enough no matter from where you work it will be you who has the control button. And that’s what I said to Mike.