Let’s face it, working remotely is still controversial. There are many myths and criticisms of remote working floating around that have kept managers from embracing it, or at least experimenting with it. Here are 5 criticisms of remote working and why they are wrong.
It’s lonely working from home.
When you think about remote working, what comes to mind? You probably envision folks at home, working in pj’s. It’s 3:00 p.m. and they haven’t showered. On several occasions, they’ve had legitimate conversations with their cats and dogs.
It doesn’t get much lonelier than that. But not to worry! Working remotely doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice a social life and become a hermit living in the shadows.
Many remote workers join coworking spaces, which can be a great way to get out and meet other people. It also gives the feeling of going into an office every day.
If you’re in a new city or having trouble finding a good place to work, try browsing Workfrom. It’s a great site centered around helping remote workers find and share great places to work, from coffee shops to coworking spaces.
People get less done when they’re not in the office.
It’s a long-standing myth that people are more productive working in the office than when working remotely. Many managers feel that if they can see an employee sitting at their desk, then that person must be being productive. Wrong. The reality is that most people actually become more productive when they work remotely!
Just consider the advantages of being a remote employee:
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- You feel that your manager has more trust in you, which pushes you to perform better.
- You spend less time commuting, which means less time wasted sitting in traffic.
- You have more flexibility with your schedule, which is especially important if you have kids or pets.
- You have less distractions; no hanging around the water cooler or break room.
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In general, these perks lead to less stressed out, more productive employees, as well as lower attrition rates and big savings for the business.
So with all of these potential benefits, maybe it’s time you started experimenting with a remote working policy at your company.
It’s harder to make good hires without meeting in person.
This one couldn’t be more wrong. In fact, it’s even easier to make quality hires when your company is remote.
When hiring remote, you never have to worry about flying someone in for an interview or paying their relocation fees. And you have far more flexibility when scheduling interviews because it’s usually as simple as opening up Zoom or MS Teams.
You’ve also got a much greater talent pool to choose from, which increases your odds of finding great people and allows you to build a globally diverse team.
Time zones make synchronous collaboration tough.
While it’s true that time zones can sometimes pose a challenge to remote teams, with the right tools, time zones can be used to your advantage.
Covering multiple time zones means that you can have far better support coverage. If you’re in California you’ll often wake up to an empty support inbox because the East Coast team already answered them all.
You can’t build a good company culture when everyone works remote.
This one’s easy to disprove. Just take a look at companies like Buffer, Zapier, and GitHub. They have all managed to create fun and engaging cultures despite being separated by distance and time zones.
It can be challenging. Since remote teams aren’t able to grab drinks after work and rarely meet face to face, you’ll need to use other tactics to ensure you’re building a good company culture.
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