Remote work myths should have been disproven by now. Afterall, we live in an era when approximately 52% of employed adults worldwide work from home. Yet myths still persist despite being mostly unfounded and hilariously tainted by Google images of casually dressed people lounging in bed and working on their laptops.
On the contrary, there is hard evidence that remote workers are as productive, if not, more productive than their in-office counterparts. For some business owners, the scepticism to enforce work from home arrangements stems more from not knowing how to adapt to remote work and how to manage delegated authority rather than from apprehensions surrounding productivity or logistics.
During the height of the pandemic, a majority of the global workforce adapted working from home protocols as part of government-imposed lockdowns. Businesses made the call to shift to working from home in order to sustain economic activity while keeping their employees safe from the COVID-19 virus.
Still, there are businesses who have qualms about remote work, which is natural. The only way to assuage these doubts is to shed light on the issues.
Debunked Myths about Remote Work
The Low Productivity Myth
The most prevalent myth is that remote workers spend more time doing other things than actually working. Business owners worry that remote workers are binge-watching, doing the laundry, sleeping, or engaging in unrelated activities during company time.
Debunking with Facts:
This Stanford Business Study acknowledges that working from home “led to a 13% performance increase, of which about 9% was from working more minutes per shift (fewer breaks and sick-days) and 4% from more calls per minute (attributed to a quieter working environment).”
The Needs Constant Supervision Myth
Related to the first myth, this myth plays on the fear that remote workers need to be constantly monitored as they are away from their desks when needed. This means business-critical tasks cannot be tended to immediately.
Debunking with Facts:
There are numerous excellent and highly reliable employee monitoring tools available for supervisors to keep their work-from-home employees accountable for their daily output. Some even come with convenient add-ons such as time tracking and invoicing functions.
The Data Privacy Threat Myth
The prevailing myth around remote work is a threat to data privacy involving transferring and keeping company data on unsecured servers.
Debunking with Facts:
These fears aren’t completely unfounded. For certain industries such as healthcare, manufacturing, construction, retail, etc., remote work is not logistically possible. Some employees, especially those in cybersecurity, finance, or departments holding confidential information, need secure office hardware. However, for the rest of the remote workforce, data protection tools exist, including VPNs, key fobs, 2-factor authentication, etc. A robust BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) and Remote Work Policy is also essential to avoid data breaches.
The Erosion of Company Culture Myth
This myth states that company culture is cultivated by employees spending time in close proximity to one another.
Debunking with Facts:
Company culture is not solely built on water cooler chitchat. A great culture is encouraged via values demonstrated by leaders in the way they work, communicate, and make each team member feel appreciated for their contributions. And all that can be achieved remotely. These debunked myths showcase that remote work is not just a trend; it’s a testament to adaptability, efficiency, and the modern workforce’s changing needs.
The Future of Remote Work
These statistics, provided by our friends at Fingerprint for Success, on remote work, provide some extremely valuable insights:
– 64% of U.S. workers currently work from home.
– 99% of respondents want to stay working from home for at least a portion of their career.
– 80% of remote workers experience less work-related stress.
– 69%: In a 10,000-employee survey conducted across the globe, that’s the percentage who are more comfortable and productive working from home.
– 33%: Fully-distributed companies hire 33% faster than those clustered in primary locations.
– 25%: Companies that offer remote work options have 25% less turnover than companies that don’t.
Read the full article here.
These statistics reveal the significant shift towards remote work and the need to address challenges and opportunities in this evolving landscape. Embracing remote work and learning to delegate tasks effectively can help businesses thrive in the new normal.
For a lot of businesses, it is no longer a question of “will this work?” but of “how can my business make this arrangement work to our advantage?” Businesses have to adapt to the changing needs of the modern workforce and the limitations of the “new normal”.
In this changing landscape, virtual assistants can be valuable assets for business owners. They enable entrepreneurs to focus on what matters most: growing their businesses. If you’d like to explore how hiring a virtual assistant can benefit your business, schedule a discovery call today.
