Remote Work in the Coronavirus Economy

Knowing how to work from home during this time of emergency has become essential. As the virus spreads, lots of businesses throughout the world are shutting down and people are shifting to work at home. But even before this crisis, between the years 2005 to 2017, working at home has increased by 159%. Employers say that a flexible work arrangement increases morale, lowers operating costs, and reduces sick days. Employees say that a flexible work arrangement leaves them more satisfied with their job, more productive, less stressed, and able to keep better care of themselves. While the boom in remote work may be temporary, operating away from the traditional workplace even in the short term is going to dramatically change the tools, support, and management styles needed. Despite these apparent pros, there are still cons that can change the way we think about working from home.

Working at home means a lot of things that can be detrimental to employees. A large part of working at home is that you are alone at home – this lack of human contact can be very bad for a person. A 2016 study looked at a travel agency which had randomly assigned a small group of its staff to work from home. The employees reported feeling increasingly isolated, disconnected, and uninformed. Another big con of working at home is the lack of management. It’s hard for managers to keep an eye on things if the employee is at home and without a physical office, managers will have to learn new ways to judge productivity. Employees will also have to develop new habits, such as keeping documentation of work interaction and learning virtual only communication. For many companies, moving to an entirely remote work may mean a completely new set of processes, procedures, and systems.

Find out how COVID-19 is impacting work and some tips and tech to get through this time of crisis using remote work here.