The labor market has seen a distinct and noticeable change over the last few years due to the internet becoming the basis of a new economy that continuously innovates both lifestyle and work habits. This development has shown positive effects on communication and technology growth, thus making the exchange of work results and information much simpler; and from this idea we created AlphaSolutions, an agency dedicated to simplify staff captation and training for the sake of maximizing the potential of companies in the new digital era.
The term “telecommuting” was brought up first in the early ’80s when companies were focused on cutting costs, and it even faced concerns about traffic congestion and pollution. Nowadays remote work stopped being a trend, it has become a modern form of employment since it brings the possibility of not depending on location; saving employees time and the company’s money.
Some might see it as a flexible schedule possibility, but for others, remote work is the only way to get a job, and it’s very important to acknowledge its advantages and challenges in order to provide the best solution for both parties, this is where Alpha comes into play by providing qualified personnel; capable of accomplishing work tasks from the comfort of their homes.
Teleworking comprehends more alternative work forms than we may know. With options such as satellite centers, neighborhood work centers, and mobile working replacing the “traditional” home-based scheme; companies have now a wide range of possibilities to optimize both their revenue and their employees’ satisfaction as these options lead to a decrease in physical traveling, emotional and physical exhaustion, and even the amount of stress involved in every job environment.
Although this might sound like the best recourse during this new era, we also have to be aware of the challenges that remote workers will face; such as synergy, mentoring, communication, company guidelines, etc.
All these have to be taken into consideration by everyone to work around practical solutions for both sides, thus maintaining the flexibility that lures the employees into this work scheme, and the increase in productivity, customer proximity, better morale, job sense of achievement, etc.
Working from home brings fewer things to the table, and this does not have a negative connotation whatsoever. When it comes to traffic congestion, pollution, and even neighborhood crime, we can see a clear decrease in these subjects; it is most likely that teleworkers take fewer sick days, they are noticeably less absent from their positions, and this leads to higher job satisfaction that will increase their performance and overall ratings. The costs related to office spaces can be cut, enabling better use of the company’s resources, as technology keeps improving day by day.
From an economical viewpoint, remote jobs are pushing innovation in companies by contributing to maintaining a strong technological base. From a psychological viewpoint, working from home gives freedom in many aspects that the current employee craves. And from a social viewpoint, remote workers get more time with their families and loved ones, making an impactful change in their daily interactions.
A good summary of the benefits for remote workers could be: better work/family balance, flexibility to relocate, avoidance of office politics, improved: morale, productivity, quality of life and work life; increased: autonomy, family and leisure time, job fulfillment, skills development; less: distractions, spillover, fewer stress levels, more community ties, it saves money on gas and parking.
Nonetheless, albeit all of the advantages that teleworking brings along, there might be organizations reluctant to this idea of “letting the personnel by themself at home”. Since we can only be sure that time goes on without our control, these few organizations that remain in the traditional job schemes will face several new challenges along with their decision.
It’s been a long time since we strictly needed to be face-to-face to deliver information, documents, instructions, projects, or any other interaction between us. With just the click of a button the amount of time wasted on going from one place to another, locating the pertinent person, and then having the actual conversation, gets cut in half by a simple email, text message, or even a Zoom meeting.
Would you be willing to spend so much time on every exchange between you and your colleagues? Even now that we have a wide range of communication tools available to provide workers with not only the ability to send audio and video but also to simultaneously work on the same file in real-time with another co-worker, the answer to the previous question should be quite clear. Results can be shown especially on collaborative tasks, where sharing the same screen on a computer can provide a coherent and intelligible line of collective thinking; and sharing ideas, solutions, and questions gets even easier.
Back in the day, one of the main concerns about remote jobs was that the tracking of the performance of a remote worker was less visible. The usual question was brought up: “How do you measure productivity, build trust, and manage people who are physically out of sight?” “If the manager can’t see their subordinates in action, then they can’t notice where the employee is struggling and where they are strong, and may not be able to provide reliable and constructive performance feedback”.
Nevertheless, technology once again came up with a solution. It is not uncommon to see companies with time and activity trackers required within working hours to measure the workers' performance and usage of their time. Job trackers allow managers to supervise their subordinates appropriately whilst also allowing the employee to keep focused on their tasks without taking away their remote freedom. In addition, depending on the kind of tracker that each organization uses, it lets the manager have a clear view of where they are failing, and where they are outperforming.
It’s as simple as scheduling a 20 minutes, or less, meeting, and review constructively the employee's abilities related to their tasks assigned, and compare the results of the final reports of the day.
To conclude, working outside of the office is no longer just a concept promoted by some random guy called Jack Nilles while stuck in the traffic of Los Angeles. It is our reality in the current day, and everyone should be informed about its benefits. Technology and the human race are constantly evolving, and Alpha Solutions is the way to go safe into a whole new world full of possibilities and inquiries.
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