The COVID-19 pandemic was the beginning of a more widespread remote work setup. While this work arrangement has provided us a means to stay safe, there have been struggles identified with this format. Remote work has been a challenge for businesses and their respective teams in the workforce.
The unemployment rate is high, but with the recent vaccine rollout, we can expect a gradual improvement in the business landscape soon. Even before this, however, companies have been looking to hire new people in their organizations. Now is the time to strengthen the workforce. A personality exam for employment can be useful for filtering various candidates for your company’s available positions. This hiring season, it is important to keep in mind your business goals and vision regarding expanding the workforce.
Despite the remote work setup, an organization should continue working towards improving relations among the company. Colleagues should be able to trust each other despite the distance during this special work arrangement. Reinforcing the team is important in maintaining an efficient and effective workforce during this time.
Struggles of Remote Work
Working remotely might seem like the ideal work arrangement, but since we have experienced this setup for more than a year now, we have been exposed to its weaknesses and limitations. Employees and companies have seen the struggles that working from home entails. Remote work might seem glamorous and relaxing but can, in fact, be the opposite. Here are some challenges that result from working from home.
Not all employees live with someone adept at technology. With this in mind, tech issues encountered during work hours can be a challenge. These issues may not be resolved as quickly as teams would like, resulting in a delay in daily output.
Contrary to popular belief, it is easy to get distracted when working from home. Even if you have an assigned desk and room specifically for your work hours, you might still not be as productive as you might like to be. The office provides a structure and a different work environment compared to the comfort that your home may bring. These distractions can even worsen through time, especially if you don’t follow a strict work schedule.
Loneliness is one of the disadvantages of working from home. While you might be in the presence of your family, during work hours, you are all by yourself with minimal communication channels with your colleagues. Loneliness can easily creep up, especially if the company culture before the pandemic was involved and social. This lack of communication and interaction can also make team-building more difficult for the workforce.
Miscommunication is also one of the struggles in remote work. It is easy to misunderstand a text, chat, or email from a colleague. Compared to speaking face-to-face, reading text on a screen provides a different experience in communication.
Struggling during remote work is sometimes inevitable. Businesses need to recognize this limitation of the current work setup so that they could address relevant problems accordingly.
Pandemic Hiring Process
The hiring process these days have also transformed with the times. Many aspects of the hiring process have become virtual to make way for the new normal. While many businesses have tried to make do with the current situation, it did not come without challenges. Similar to the effect of remote work on collaboration, the virtual hiring process has also posed struggles in selecting candidates. Nevertheless, companies continue to strive to remain agile and flexible with the shifting business landscape.
Managing A Team
Leading a team during this time is a difficult task. This task is often met with uncertainty and many struggles that are hard to address when working remotely. Despite this, business leaders need to adapt quickly to the changes in the current setup to remain in the market.
With the changing business landscape, business leaders need to provide their employees with tools and resources that will allow them to adapt to the rapid transitions in business. Both the workforce and the business leaders will benefit from this collaboration and management as employees produce better and more efficient work over time.
Effective communication, collaboration, and creativity are the essential ingredients of success amid this remote work setup. Colleagues and team leaders must understand and listen to one another to make business efficient and effective.
Building a team during the new normal is not easy. Business leaders need to learn how to be quick on their feet to avoid getting left behind.
