How to Improve Telecommuting Experience

Telecommuting has exploded in popularity over the last decade, with the number of remote employees growing by 115 percent. Before the COVID-19 epidemic, about 43% of Americans worked from home on a regular basis; however, since many people are now working from home in lockdown seek long-term remote employment, this number is expected to become much higher. However, there are 2 universal problems with remote work.

Telecommuting blurs the line between business and personal life, making it hard to separate work and relaxation. As a result, many remote employees may find themselves working unusual hours, making it difficult to completely disconnect at the end of the day.

Also. working from home may be a very lonely experience. Working at home, rather than in a typical office setting, eliminates a significant social element of work. Coffee breaks, group lunches, and office jokes, while seemingly harmless, are significant means of connecting and creating connection. Telecommuting has the potential to eliminate this sense of belonging and support network.

However, these aren’t insurmountable obstacles. Remote employees can reap the benefits of flexibility while avoiding negative emotional and professional consequences if they are properly managed. Here are two measures that any company may do to improve the remote work experience.

The first step is to try and keep remote work visible and regulated. Usage of digital tools may help you to manage time and schedule work, which helps to maintain a healthier work/life balance. There are several tools that can help with this, including as planning applications, activity logs, and to-do lists, but automated time trackers are by far the easiest and most comprehensive option.

The second step is mixing office and remote work. Employees that go into the workplace at least one day a week have been proven to be the happiest. This should be promoted wherever feasible (for example, by providing “in-office days”), so that the advantages of on-site and remote work may be combined. Of course, when personnel are dispersed throughout the globe, things get more difficult, but you still have choices. Annual business meetings assist to foster a greater sense of community and provide an opportunity for many colleagues to meet for the first time in person.