Look around at any airport and you’ll see people surrounding outlets, sitting on their laptops and phones. According to the State of the Remote Job Marketplace report, 43 percent of the workforce works remotely at least some of the time. A major perk of distributed work is the ability to be traveling while on the clock.
We all have moments, or even days, when we find focusing on work more difficult than usual. Sometimes the reasons are obvious, but other times we are stuck wondering what we are doing wrong and what’s happening to us. In this article we are going to explore these less recognizable factors that impair our ability to concentrate and properly accomplish our tasks.
The frequency of remote work options have grown exponentially in the past decade, with an estimated 3.6 million Americans working from home in at least some capacity, based on State of the Remote Job Marketplace.
The remote work trend has notable perks for both employees and employers – no commute, time flexibility and minimal office costs. What’s more, a study of 500 employees from Stanford University reports that working from home can lead to a boost in productivity. For example, traditional office workers in the study lost time due to traffic on their commutes, periodic water-cooler breaks and other daily interruptions, while remote employees did not.
Working with remote teams is a challenge even for the most savvy team leader. Having people from around the world working together can be both a blessing and a challenge. On one hand, you have access to a global workforce, which allows you to enroll the most suitable candidates. But on the other hand, there are lots of obstacles to overcome. In this article we are going to discuss about virtual meetings, one of the hurdles of working remotely, and offer some advice to help you get past it.
Working remotely is on the rise. More and more people want to work from a location of their choice. At home, wearing pajamas, on a flexible schedule. On a beach, next to a pinna colada.
Internet innovation drives remote work. Bundles of tech solutions. Long commutes in regular jobs incentivize it even further. Besides, research shows remote workers are more productive. They do more with less, which leads to work intensification.
To be fair, the reverse is nearly as likely. People that do remote work have to be productive to make the cut. The vast majority of people, however, have issues with getting motivated. Everything is so distracting. There are far too many sources for interruptions. From getting the wrong order in a coffee shop to a noisy scanner in a co-working space. While at work, you at least have a productivity benchmark. And teams to boost your morale. At home, you might get stuck in between the fridge and the couch while binging on Netflix.
Stay focused and work will be a breeze. Yet, working from home is a challenge in its own right.
Let’s be honest, working from home is uniquely challenging. That’s because most people stash all sorts of fun things at home. Think home entertainment, from Netflix to video games. Gym equipment, kids, pets, deliveries, random visitors. There are countless opportunities for distractions.
Happiness at work has been a trendy topic for quite some time now. Everyone is curious, even nervous about it. From companies to scientists and employees. There is an abundance of studies and articles that draw quite a picture. Some argue that happiness at work can even make or break your business. Others find that it’s all inconclusive.
In fact, companies with happy employees score better
Coworking is a concept that’s “younger” than the average millennial professional life. Yet it also seems to be hugely popular, trendy even. Projected coworking spaces follow a curve that resembles Moore’s law. Every year, there are twice as many spots to fill. Either extensions or new spaces being open in a novel approach to build “uncorporations”. However, the concept of coworking is as old as early human communities.
After all, coworking is people doing similar work in shared spaces. Unlikely collaborators pursuing mutually advantageous strategies for development. Sharing a workspace with friends, mentors, and the competition. In a sense, this is remote work with superpowers. And it is more than a trend.
More and more companies need a toolbox to help them interact in real time with partners, clients and even remote employees.
However, running remote meetings in particular comes with its own challenges. Sometimes the participants are on different time zones. Everyone needs to be updated prior to the meeting regarding the topic of the conversation. Tasks have to be shared and everyone must have a clear understanding of the entire project. Not to mention the online meeting itself has to unfold without any technical problems.
He who never dreamed of working remotely from a beach in Bali, let him cast the first stone! But is this way of work as productive as sharing the same office? There are a lot of voices out there promoting the “death of the desk job