5 Myths about Remote Work, Debunked
The African workplace is ready for telework, but employers and team leaders aren’t. And they are perhaps the biggest obstacle to remote work on the African continent.
Internet penetration has sped up significantly on the continent but the mainstream mindset is still playing catch up. A lot of people still struggle to make the connection that, increased internet penetration means the workplace can be decentralized.
A lot of reorientation has to be done, for sure. We are aware of this at Buffrspace. That’s why we’ve compiled a list of 5 of the most popular myths about remote work, both good and bad… to debunk them.
Myth #1
Remote Workers Don’t Get Any Work Done
This is perhaps the most prevalent. And nothing could be farther away from the truth. Studies have shown that productivity actually increases when workers telecommute. For a number of people, removing the physical side interactions and interruptions, an office phenomenon that cuts productivity by 40%, has allowed them to blaze through the day, hitting all the deadlines and milestones.
Myth #2
Meetings Aren’t Productive if They’re Not Done Face-to-Face
People who believe this are quick to say, 80% of communication is body language. If you can’t see the person talking to you, a lot is lost in transit. No argument from us there.
But what they fail to remember is that, the internet has enabled a thing called video conferencing tools. A lot of Chat applications also have embedded video conference functionalities (so you can still catch your teammates rolling their eyes at your ideas).
Virtual meetings also have the added advantage of being more flexible thereby able to adapt to time constraints, conflicting schedules and even differing time zones.
Myth #3
Remote Work is Really for Tech Savvy People
We’ve been mentioning tools a lot in this post. And something about that word, tools, makes people assume remote workers are extremely tech savvy people. I mean, they have to be right? With the number of tools they’ll be using.
Wrong. These days, remote working tools are “dummy” proof i.e. intuitive and easy to use. In fact, I wager, if you can use Facebook or even Twitter, you can use 80% of most remote working tools without any extra help from a third party. A simple install and you’re ready to connect with your colleagues and collaborate with your team.
Myth #4
Remote working means only working from home
No. No no no. This is not true. And if you’ve been following our blog, you’ll understand how invalid this assumption is.
The beauty of telecommuting is that you don’t have to work out of your physical house. A lot of folks prefer to switch the scenery of their workplace occasionally. Meaning, today, you may be working at a table in your bedroom, tomorrow, at a table in the restaurant across the street, and the following day, at your cousin’s place several miles away. In fact, with an internet modem, anywhere in the world can become your office.
It’s one of the perks of telecommuting.
Employers and team leaders who wonder, “Is the worker going to be reachable during normal business hours? Won’t he/she get distracted by personal responsibilities at home?” can rest easy because working from home, can mean working from anywhere. They could even take it a step further and register a BuffrSpace account for their employees.
Myth #5
Remote Workers live by their own schedule
This one is actually ridiculous. Remote workers are usually part of a larger team sometimes consisting of a number of other remote workers and regular staff. Working in teams, means they are responsible for tasks or projects that other members of the team are counting on being ready as at when needed. A lot of the remote worker’s day is dictated by what happens at the head office. It’s not strange to find a daily routine of early morning meetings with the whole team (the remote workers attend virtually over the internet) in organizations embracing the flexible working culture. That way the team leader is able to clarify the day’s deliverables.
While these five myths about telecommuting abound, real world facts present a better and more encouraging reality — that telecommuting is a viable and effective way to increase productivity in the workplace.
Read: Selling the idea of remote work to your boss
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