Bursting Top 5 Myths About Remote Work and Work-Life Balance

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We are already heading towards 2025, and companies large and small are still dwindling in the question – does remote work actually work, or is it a temporary solution to cases of emergency? 

There is a need to burst misconceptions like this for normalising working remotely and work-life balance worldwide. Here we go.

5 Common Myths About Remote Work and Work-Life Balance

Myth #1. It is Difficult to Build a Company Culture with a Remote Team

It’s a general stance that companies with distributed remote or hybrid teams face difficulties building company culture. Companies fear that employees may not feel included or accepted without first-hand events.

Realty: 

If companies continue applying the same rules and policies on employees as working from the office, it can hit the employee’s mindset negatively. But, remote companies can have a robust and diverse culture. It only needs good leadership skills and HRs willing to mend policies to make remote work commendable and inclusive. Therefore, you can avoid copy-pasting the existing rules and company policies and employ new policies and modern tools to build a vibrant and engaging work culture.

Myth #2. Remote Work Means Less Productivity

Another common misconception about remote work is that the home office is less advantageous than the in-office setting. Maybe that’s why many companies regularly monitor their employee’s systems to verify if they are working or pretending to be working. That is not a great practice, especially if you want to retain your employees. 

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Let’s make it clear. The office does not have any fewer distractions either. Whether commuting to the office location, taking long coffee breaks and office gossip, and loop of never-ending meetings, calls, and emails, offices have ample distractions to affect productivity. In contrast, many studies show that above 70% of employees feel more productive while working from home. The reasons may include less commuting, fewer distractions, less office chit-chat, and activities like exercise or meditation.

Myth #3. Remote Work is Not For Large Companies

One more general misconception is larger organisations can’t practise remote work because larger organisations mean bigger teams, which can complicate it more! 

Reality:

It’s a no-brainer that small organisations can adapt to fast-paced changes quickly. But, the fact is many large companies have implemented remote work successfully. Companies of any size can adapt to working remotely. The success of remote work does not depend on the number of employees. It depends on building the right company culture.

Myth #4. Working Remotely Negatively Impacts Work-Life Balance

Working from home means work can take over your personal life easily. But is it true that setting no clear boundaries between work and personal life can be the main reason for working 24*7?

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The truth is remote work has significantly increased the work-life balance. Remote workers may work longer during weekdays as they feel more productive working from home offices. Also, there are other positive impacts of working remotely for employees, such as getting extra time to spend with family and loved ones, ease of flexibility, finding their Me-Time that they can use for personal growth activities such as learning and exercise, and more. Remote work can be fun and productive if everyone takes measures to make it happen. And you do not have to rely on your organisation for that. As a team leader, you can take action for your team, like identifying work-related burnout and managing it by giving a much-needed break to that employee or arranging for some interactive sessions with your team so that everyone can share their views on managing work-life more efficiently. 

Myth #5. Remote Work Disrupts Communication

One of the most popular misconceptions is that remote work disrupts the ease of communication. Many office workers take it for granted, like hopping for a quick chat during office hours. For remote workers, the distance makes communication more difficult. Also, organisations may think virtual discussions and meetings are not that fruitful. Well, it surely needs to be debunked!

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The fact is virtual communication can be as effective as face-to-face communication. You only need to know how to do it. You can use cutting-edge tools and apps for video conferencing, chatting, and project management remote work-related technologies to make communication seamless and as effective as in-person. Moreover, lacking face-to-face meetings, individuals remain more conscious and evident about their duties and responsibilities. Asynchronous communication means less meeting time and more time for work, which means high productivity.

Conclusion: Remote Work and Work-Life Balance is Achievable with Remark

Remote work is not the future anymore, but it is here already, and many organisations have adopted it more since the pandemic. You can also go for a remote work setting for your company with strategies to make remote work fun and a balanced work life. Hire the best remote work talent with Remark and build a diversified team of talented individuals from India.