The Challenges of Remote Working

The challenges of remote working
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While remote working has many benefits, it is important to consider the

limitations.
You have heard a compelling case for remote working and all its benefits, but
as with everything, there are the limitations to consider to make remote work
a success. Some of these focus less on the practicalities and more on the need
to put effort into maintaining emotional and physical wellbeing.
In 2019, Buffer, a product company with a fully distributed team of 82 people

living and working in 15 countries around the world, consulted with 2,500
remote workers to produce the 2019 State of Remote Work report. Their
research revealed what remote workers themselves thought about the benefits
and struggles of remote working as follows:
 49% of remote workers stated their biggest struggle is wellness-related

 22% can’t switch off after work
 19% feel lonely
 8% can’t stay motivated
If you are interested to learn more you can read the report in the See Also
section.
As a remote worker, you will spend a lot of time on your own and need to
take extra precautions to maintain wellness. It’s important to acknowledge
that there are potential pitfalls and reflect upon how these might affect you.
This will help you to build a plan to make remote working a success. Let’s
consider three of these pitfalls in more detail:
1. Mental health
Working from home can put your mental health under increased pressure. Dr
Amy Cirbus, Manager of Clinical Quality at Talkspace, reports that remote
workers often experience:
 higher rates of anxiety and depression than traditional office workers

 insomnia and sleep disturbance are common
 increased fatigue, irritation, sadness and feelings of disconnection.
She states that:
“Remote workers report a lack of concentration and focus that can compound
and exacerbate these mental health challenges [and] can lead to a loss of self-
worth and a questioning of one’s abilities.”
To compound this, people who work from home can also nurture a sense of
guilt about their work arrangement, leading to feelings that they somehow
need to give back more than ever. This cycle of self-induced overwork and
stress can lead to poor mental health.
The Small Office Home Office (SOHO) Workers Report produced in 2016
found that remote workers take fewer sick days than traditional office
workers. Remote workers take an average of 2.4 sick days per year in
comparison to the 2.6 taken by those working from company premises. It
could be inferred from this that they are healthier, but it could also indicate
that they are prepared to carry out their work duties even when they are in
fact ill. The report backs up this notion with the finding that 84% of workers
will work from home during illness, instead of taking time off to recover. If
you are interested in learning more, the report is available in the See Also
section.
Remote workers can have a sense of ‘always available’ and may feel
compelled to keep in contact with colleagues and up to date on projects even
when they should be taking a sick day. The point of a sick day is to allow you
some time away from to recover, not to stay engaged and stressed with the
inevitable challenges of work. This reluctance to allow proper recover time
can lead to physical and mental burnout, so although in the short term may
maintain work flow, it is not a good long term strategy.
2. Isolation
Removing the need to commute means you no longer have the opportunity to
bump into people on your way to work or overhear conversations on public
transport. These might seem trivial events, but they all contribute to the
interaction that makes up your day. Unless remote workers make a concerted
effort to make these interactions happen, they can find themselves speaking
only about work-related business. This might suit some people, but others
might find it has a profound effect on them.
3. Self-discipline
Self-discipline comes easy to some, others find it harder, but it is a skill that
can be nurtured. In some ways, attending work removes the need to develop
this skill. We turn up on time because our manager will not be happy if we
don’t. At home, you are your own timekeeper, which can pose a challenge.
However, self-discipline is not just about making sure you protect your
professional life from the distractions of your personal life. More often than
not, the opposite is the case, and you need to protect your private life from
your professional world. Attending to household chores in the middle of the
day can often be a really efficient use of time. However, this can mean the
lines between work and home become blurred, making it harder to turn off at
the end of the day. This can lead to a tendency to log more work hours than
you should, cutting into your personal time or even affecting your sleep
schedule.
Further your understanding:
You may be interested to learn more about the research into the potential
effects remote working can have on your mental health. The See Also section
contains some articles you may find useful.
Share your thoughts:
What do you think could be your greatest challenge to remote working?

Share and discuss your responses with other learners in the Discussion.

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The challenges of remote working

While remote working has many benefits, it is important to consider the

In 2019, Buffer, a product company with a fully distributed team of 82 people

 49% of remote workers stated their biggest struggle is wellness-related

 higher rates of anxiety and depression than traditional office workers

She states that:

Further your understanding:

Share your thoughts:

What do you think could be your greatest challenge to remote working?

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