With COVID-19 shutting down schools, workplaces, and nonessential businesses across the United States, questions about working from home and remote work are more pertinent than ever. In some industries, working from home has been the norm for years now. This recent pandemic may continue to push more businesses in this direction. If you are a business owner or team supervisor, or even an employee, you may be wondering is remote work a good idea?

Remote Work in a Pandemic

Obviously, working remote due to a worldwide pandemic and working from home as the standard are very different. However, both require the same type of adjustments and feature the same pros and cons.

For companies currently transitioning to a remote work model, the goal is to reduce the spread of disease. Of course, they also get other benefits that companies with long term work from home models have been reaping for years. Just as well, this exposes them to any potential negatives associated with remote work. Let’s dive into the specific benefits and negatives of remote work.

The Benefits of Remote Work

For both employee and employer, remote work can offer you a significant number of advantages. Both employees and employers save money. This is due to the lack of a commute to work or need to pay for office upkeep.

Another major pro is that, in general, employee moral improves when working from home. This is good for both sides as happy employees are always better than unhappy ones. An increase in mood and morale among employees can lead to an increase in productivity and creativity which is always appreciated. Other factors of remote work that help boost an employee’s mood can be being around their family and pets, as well as the ability to work more flexible hours.

All of this sounds great, but like everything in life, working from home does come with potential downsides.

Negatives of Remote Work

Unsurprisingly, there are some negatives to remote work as well. Many of them will vary depending on the person and how they work best. Some people enjoy noise in the background as they work, be this a TV, music, or conversation. Others enjoy silence in order to focus. An office setting will almost always offer less distractions than your home in most cases. Our homes provide much more opportunity for distraction, whether it be our family, pets, TV, etc. However, with a proper work space at home, most of these distractions can be eliminated.

Another common issue with employees working from home is the ability to communicate. The loss of most face to face conversations can be a hindrance. Sometimes a phone call or email is not the right medium for your message. Thankfully, modern technology has made this type of communication easier.

One of the biggest issues companies face though is the security risk. Remote work often requires employers to send employees home with expensive equipment that can access important files vital to a company’s success. Employers lose physical control over these devices and potentially who can access them. Again, technology, such as IT support and remote admin access, can help ensure that your company’s sensitive information remains secure.

Weighing the Decision to Work from Home

Ultimately, deciding whether remote work is right for your company requires you to look at a lot of factors. From the industry you are in, to the types of employees you have. Someone in the construction industry can’t truly work from home. While many IT jobs can be done entirely online. You must be able to trust your employees and have faith in their ability to self motivate and maintain focus. Now, you can even train and onboard new employees from home with Training & eTracking Solutions catalog of online courses and new JackRabbit onboarding system. Learn more about this system by clicking here!

Is Remote Work a Good Idea for My Company?