20 things remote companies must get right

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Prevent Burnout: The pandemic has shown remote work works.The lack of boundaries has caused burnout

Many companies are implementing wellness days where their teams get an unplanned day off once every 1-2 months

Collaboration: Not being able to get around a whiteboard is something companies worry about

Many are using tools like @MURAL to overcome this and finding they can do almost everything they did in the office

Communication: Remote changes how organizations function from verbal to written

By shifting they become more inclusive and ensure knowledge is retained inside a company rather than lost when people leave

Human Connection: ‘We are social animals and need social interaction’ is a frequent criticism of remote work

Remote teams can actually have closer relationships with colleagues as their connection become less superficial

Young People: Living in shared accommodation in an expensive city means junior employees often don’t have space to work at home

This is not an issue with remote work, instead it’s a challenge of having to live close enough to commute to an office daily

Losing Talent: Some companies think workers will leave if they are remote as it’s easier to do so

In reality, companies who are remote see workers staying for longer because they built the lifestyle they want

Gender Inequality: Woman being forced out the workforce during Covid is an unacceptable problem

Many companies have done a terrible job of addressing this and must resolve it ASAP

Accessibility: Office are a difficult place for a lot of people to work from

Remote work enables organizations to be more inclusive, accessible and diverse but it won’t just happen

Motivation: Trusting professionals to do their job without constant surveillance by management is still a concern inside some companies

The pandemic has shown that remote work works and remote workers deliver incredible results

Distraction: Companies were worried that workers wouldn’t get their work done from home as there are so many other things people can do

Now they’ve seen how much more work gets done, they’ve realized how destructive office are for productivity

Serendipity: Water cooler chat is often used to illustrate the importance of luck in solving organizational challenges

Instead, companies must recognised that trusting your most difficult problems to luck is dangerous

Injuries at Home: Companies are incredibly scared about people getting injured while working from home

Many of them are moving to provide the same equipment workers had in the office to avoid this

Those who don’t will be sued when injuries happen

Compliance: Remote work has the potential to cause major legal issues for companies

Most will only allow their team to work remotely in places where they have a legal entity in order to avoid tax & legal issues around operating

Isolation: People worry about individuals not having enough time with other humans

This is a challenge caused by Covid enforced WFH with lockdowns rather than remote

Boundaries: Splitting work and home life while working from home during a pandemic is almost impossible

The best way people have managed it is by creating rituals to split them

Time Together: Working remotely does not mean never getting together in person

Every company is thinking about the frequency they need to come together physically in order to operate effectively as a team

Security: People accessing sensitive data in unsecured locations via machines and internet connections that are not protected is a major issue

Many are addressing this by ensuring the right settings are installed and the right hardware used

IT Equipment: Most people began with the pandemic with just a laptop at home

They quickly realized having the right peripherals and equipment were critical to productivity

This is a very difficult challenge to overcome with people dispersed

Training: Developing programmes for employees is a massive issue the largest orgs face

They were unprepared for this and had to act quickly. Many developed incredible virtual programmes on the fly

Training is now better than it has ever been inside many companies

Career Advancement: Junior employees not spending time with managers is viewed as a potential challenge of remote

Instead, it’s an opportunity most companies have taken to define paths of progression more formally rather than by who you drink with in the pub after work

Onboarding: Getting stuff to remote workers is hard. Fixing is when it break is a nightmare. Getting it back when people leave is almost impossible

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