Remote Work & Productivity 1 : PROS & CONS OF TELEWORKING.
By: Edu Montoya
Tags: Remote Work Tools, Productivity, Teleworking, Work, Remote Work

PROS OF TELEWORKING

FLEXIBILITY: The first undisputed advantage of teleworking is the flexibility it gives to both employees and employers. We are not all the same, so the productivity of each person depends on him or her and their environment. Why not set a fixed number of hours in which everyone must be connected, and divide the rest between the most productive hours that each person has? The online office never closes, which is why, if the night is what keeps me awake the most, why not take advantage of it?

For the company, having its workers perform at their best is the best thing that can happen to them, regardless of whether it’s 5am or 5pm.

FAMILY CONCILIATION: Who has had to please ask to have their child picked up because working hours do not allow them to arrive on time? Teleworking will give us the option to enjoy more of each other’s personal affairs and not have to go asking for favours for emergencies or needs, which will make the employee more relaxed and less attentive to the mobile phone, so he or she will be more productive.

For the employer, this also has an advantage in that employees will be happier and feel valued, so staff turnover will be lower.

TIME SAVINGS: Have you ever calculated how many hours a day you spend from the time you wake up until you go to work (and vice versa)? On average, a person who teleworks can earn 1–2 hours a day for themselves. What could you do in 11 days for yourself? Also, include all the time that can be saved in unnecessary meetings that can be solved with an e-mail.

SAVING COSTS: This is one of the most visible points of teleworking, and that is how much money we could save if we did not go to the cafeteria every day? If we calculate 1 euro per working day, that’s already about 250 euro which can be for your hobbies, because coffee is cheaper at home.

What about transport? I’m not talking about petrol anymore, but about all the indirect damages that exist. We could point out that every day we drive more kilometres (decreasing the value of the car), so there are more possibilities of breakdowns, if we add to this the large number of vehicles in the morning, morning fatigue and the position of the sun, it translates into more danger at the wheel (no wonder that driving schools teach us this). We should also highlight the large amount of pollution and stress produced by traffic.

Piggy Bank

Can you imagine how much money could be saved if we didn’t have to spend so much money on suits, make-up, perfumes to make ourselves look good? We know that the more things are spent, the more they break, so we would see a small saving in our pockets.

As for the company, there are two big advantages. On the one hand, it saves costs (hotels, transport, allowances, guaranteed space for all workers…) and time by avoiding some workers having to go on visits that can be made remotely. Another saving could be the company’s health insurance, and that is that by not having to go to the work site, there are fewer accidents, so the insurance may cost less in the coming years. On the other hand, companies will be able to see their income increase. This increase could be the result of both increased employee productivity and better investment of the money saved on unnecessary movements.

RETAINING TALENT:

What if the best employee for your company lives 3000Kms away from you? What if the best potential employee for your company lives 5Kms away but is disabled and cannot access? Teleworking gives and will continue to give job opportunities on a more equal basis, so that wealth will be redistributed more equally both geographically and socially. It also gives the opportunity for them to feel more empowered and more autonomous, so their dependence within and outside the company will decrease. This is undoubtedly one of the main advantages for employers.

CONS OF TELEWORKING

COMPUTER PROBLEMS: The most serious problem for both the company and the worker are computer security problems. I will comment on this in future blogs, but I would like to highlight Internxt Teams to solve this problem. Why not Google Cloud or Google Drive to store the files? The privacy and security of the files are not protected at all and can collapse as it did a few days ago. However, Internxt is a decentralised cloud storage (based on Blockchain) that offers a zero-knowledge service (not even they can see what you upload) while dividing, encrypting and sending these various copies to thousands of hosts around the world, ensuring that no one but the company ever accesses the private files.

CAMERA

Can you imagine having your clients’ bank details stolen? Invoices? Contracts for future projects? The easiest mistake to solve, is the one that can make you lose money if you don’t invest in privacy.

INVESTMENT AND START-UP COSTS: The company is the one that must ensure that the worker has all the necessary material to carry out his job (laptop, software, ergonomic chair…) , that is why many companies back out when they see that they must make an initial investment with the risk that it will not be used as a touch. However, in the vast majority of cases what they do is try it out for 2–3 weeks and if they see it works well, they invest.

TECHNOLOGICAL TRAINING LEVEL: Not everyone knows what the terms VPN, HDMI or BUG mean so before leaving the accounting or marketing professional, they should be taught and prepared for any problems that may arise. Recommendation? The Loom programme can help in a simple and dynamic way to prepare your team against the typical mistakes that can occur to an employee.

SENSATION OF SOLITUDE: As far as loneliness is concerned, being 8 hours in complete silence can be harmful to the mental health of employees, but that is why teleworking should be voluntary for both the company and the employee. It can decrease productivity until the person gets used to it.

What do you think about teleworking? Will you be able to work from home? Thank you for reading me!