The coronavirus pandemic has changed the landscape of work for now and maybe forever. For nearly every company that is able to transition their employees to work from home, they have been forced to implement remote working strategies during the pandemic. A survey conducted by the parent company of Employee Benefit News and Employee Benefit Adviser revealed that 83% of the respondents said the transition to remote working during the coronavirus was either good or excellent. Still, there are challenges facing employers, and here are a few.
Reliable internet connection. Controlling what kind of internet connection each of their employees have at home has proven to be difficult. This is even more true in rural areas. Some places far outside of town do not have the high speed connections you readily find in larger cities. Until the playing field is leveled in terms of internet connection, this will remain a challenge as some employees may not be able to produce to the same level as others depending on where they are located.
Effect on productivity. Employers are finding it challenging to have the same degree of impact on their employees’ productivity than if they were in the office. At home, there are just more distractions for employees to cope with. Especially during coronavirus, children are at home and need tended to or even need home schooling. There are multiple factors involved in the level of disruptions an employee can encounter at home.
Building relationships. One of the biggest challenges to overcome in employees working from home is its effect on building relationships. This doesn’t only affect peer-to-peer relationships in the workplace but also professional connections with clients. If any of these relationships fail, ultimately so could the business. So, employers must work hard to overcome the pitfalls that come with communicating remotely, implement ways of bonding and find new ways of connecting with clients.
As the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic continues to pan out, employers keep discovering challenges as their employees work from home. It appears from some surveys that many employers are handling the challenges well. New and unique ways will need to be developed such as for communicating and providing appropriate equipment to employees. It’s a good system to set in place now as we’re likely to see more and more work-from-home opportunities arise as a result of this pandemic.
The productivity pitfalls of working from home in the age of COVID-19