Top Common Remote Work Challenges & How To Overcome Them

The Covid 19 has affected millions of people worldwide and forced them to make changes in their lifestyle. One of such significant changes that affected millions of people is working from home. Though at first, it seemed like a blessing to the majority of the people, with time, they realized it wasn't. People faced a lot of challenges of working remotely. The article will discuss some remote work challenges and ways by which you can overcome those.

Facing problems with time management

The first one in the remote work problems is the time management. When you are at home, it's not just the work that keeps you engaged but also other household chores. While doing your office work, you also have to keep in mind to do the laundry! Basically, there are a lot of distractions while you work from home. And since you have to multitask, it takes time to complete your office assignment. And since you have no bosses hovering over your shoulder, you accept the liberty of working and relaxing. But in doing so, one ends up stretching the work for hours. Unlike hybrid workplace hours, the office hours remain fixed, so it becomes easy to manage the time.

Cross out the necessary work

One of the primary remote work challenges is time management. But there are ways to overcome that by prioritizing the work. Once you get the schedule for the day, try to figure out the vital work. Once you are able to identify that, start working on it and try to finish it earlier. This will make sure that you don’t have to drag work for hours.

Set distraction limit tools

When working from home, hybrid workforce tends to spend a lot of time frisking various websites. Many people don't realize, but this takes up a lot of time. So if you want to manage your time efficiently, install distraction limit apps. You will find many apps that help you keep off surfing YouTube/Instagram for hours. As a result, you will be able to complete your work on time.

Overworking

Gone are the days when you would enter the office premises at nine and leave at seven in the evening. Hybrid remote work, which seemed like an easier option to many, turned out to be the harder one. With working from home, there are no specific working hours. Often one ends up working for more than twelve hours or more. At the office where you could take coffee breaks or so, there's no such thing in hybrid working culture. A recent study has proved that people who work from home tend to be 20-25% more high yielding than ones at the office! These long and continuous work hours make it challenging for employees to maintain their personal life balance. It is one of the most common remote work challenges. In most cases, they aren't paid as per their efficiency.

• Take breaks – The easiest way to keep your mind working even after long hours is by taking breaks. Try to take a 10-15 minutes break for every hour you work. By doing this, you will be able to concentrate on your work and be more productive.
• Get a proper setup – Since you will be working for long hours, it is better to have a proper working setup. Instead of reclining on the sofa or bed all the time, get a standing desk and ergonomic office chair. The standing desk and the office chair will keep you comfortable and help you retain good posture.
• Work out the timings – Before starting your work, make sure you convey your work timings to your colleagues/boss. Keep it clear that you won't be able to do any kind of office work after a specific time. Try not to reply to any office mails/calls after office hours if it's not urgent. After all, a work-life balance is very crucial.

Technological hindrance

One of the common remote work challenges that many employees face is technical limitations. When you are working from home, you need to have a laptop and fully functional internet connectivity. But apart from all these, you need to be tech-savvy too. Unlike in-office where you could use the help of your colleagues to use a particular software in the home, you can't. And if you don't know how to use a specific app/software, that could cause a problem.

• Do Research – Before downloading any app/software, make sure you do some research on it. A back study will help you know better about the software that you are going to use. Since learning how to use an app/software takes time, it is better to make sure that it's worth it.
• Training – Before asking your colleagues to use any particular office automation software for work, make sure you arrange a training session. Not everyone is well, so technologically pro! If you don't provide them with hands-on experience with the new technology, people may find it difficult. So you have to make sure that everyone gets acquainted with the latest technology.

Communication Barriers

The biggest remote work challenges that people face in a hybrid work model are communication barriers. Communication barriers happen for a lot of reasons. It can either arise due to communication means or a lack of transparency/trust. These barriers exist when you are working in the office premises but get intensified when working from home.

Use a suitable communication device

When you are working, make sure you have an active internet connection. It is one of the big challenges of working from home for those you are not good at techonology. Keep apps and virtual meeting platforms like Google Meet, and Skype handy! There are various broadband plans that you can go for. Even though it's a bit expensive, try to choose the one that gives you high speed.

Keep it transparent

Since the entire work is not being done virtually, it is essential to maintain transparency. Communicate every day’s work/plans with your team members and keep them updated. Make sure that they report back to you with all the details.