Switching to running remote is becoming more and more common. Though running remote may save lots of businesses, it has its challenges. The challenges of remote work are how to measure your team’s performance, how to deal with project management, communication, concentration problems etc. Luckily, there are many tools that will help to handle these challenges with different features and ways.
In this article, you will get to know the challenges of running remote, the consequences of avoiding these challenges, and several tools that will help you to solve running remote challenges.
What Are the Challenges of Running Remote?
The Difficulty of Employee Monitoring and Management
Employee Monitoring is the main challenge for all categories of work. It especially gets heavier in case of running remote. Though it may seem that the workload may be light if no one controls the employee, their productivity levels may decrease as a result.
Productivity is an essential part of any business. Regardless of the job industry, if employee productivity is low, the company may suffer. That is why it is important to track employee time and attendance.
Employees that work remotely may get easily distracted and may tend to focus on non-work-related things. It is hard to track remote employee performance because of not being in the same location. It is difficult for employers to control their employees, work efficiency decreases, and the employees themselves may experience stress.
Employers may not trust their employees as they would in the office. They would not know or would not be sure whether their employees dedicate enough time and effort to their tasks.
Besides employee monitoring challenges, project management problems may also arise. It becomes harder to manage the work of employees. If not addressed, problems such as missing deadlines, concentrating on tasks, staying productive, inaccurate organization of tasks may arise.
Communication Problems
Working at home alone decreases the chances of communication. Remote employees may work poorly if there is less interaction between teams. They may face difficulties when they are not aware of or do not understand their duties. In the office, there is always the opportunity to ask an experienced colleague for help or advice. In the case of running remote, employees miss direct communication and it may be hard to discuss tasks while no one is next to them. Sadly, they may feel missed out. Continuous worrying increases stress levels and reduces productivity.
Concentration Problems
Though running remote may seem easy when working alone, there may be distractions. Remote employees may have difficulty concentrating on their tasks as the workplace they work in is no more like an office. When nobody is watching their work, it is easier to deviate from the working path. Without the watchful eye of a supervisor, or clear expectations, employees may feel aimless and easily distracted. Distractions can lead to inefficiency in the entire working process. Employees may feel tired because of sitting for long hours without productively working.
What Can Happen if You Avoid These Problems?
Burnout
The atmosphere is a very important factor and it is important where employees work. Remote employees may spend longer hours on work which can lead to burnout and decreased self-esteem. Eventually, it can negatively affect their mental health. Considering the distractions, remote employees may overwork and spend time on a certain task more than necessary. Factors like repeatedly missed deadlines, avoidance of speaking to remote teams, and devoting themselves to other things other than work, may prevent them from working productively and their performance may suffer.
Tools to Use to Handle These Challenges
Slack
Slack is a communication platform that makes communication easy and effective. The software helps you to communicate effectively, easily, and creatively. Due to Slack, you can arrange teams and projects into channels. Slack enables you to communicate in real-time about emerging issues. It’s remote, but you feel connected after these conversations.
This way, you communicate more effectively by having discussions with your teams in the channels that suit your topic. Also, easy communication gives you a sense of belonging to the group and having a chance to share engaging content.
Location
Slack is a US-based company, and it operates offices in Dublin, Vancouver, New York City, Toronto, Denver, London, Tokyo, Pune, Paris, and Melbourne.
Pricing
There are four Slack tiers: Free, Pro ($8.75 user/month), Business+ ($15 user/month), and Enterprise plan (you have to contact their sales team to find out more).
Why You Need a Communication Platform Tool
- Easy, fast and effective communication
- Feeling connected
- Share engaging content
WebWork Time Tracker
As it becomes overwhelming to track remote employee performance, it is necessary to find a tool that will do that for you. WebWork is an employee monitoring software for companies and remote teams which has various features that can be useful for you. WebWork is especially good in running remote cases, as it is also a remote employee monitoring software. With the help of remote employee monitoring, you can see how productive your employees are.
Location
WebWork is a software company, and its first office is registered in California, San Francisco. The second office is registered in Yerevan, Armenia.
Pricing
These are WebWork tiers: Basic ($4,99) and Enterprise plan. (Custom$)
Why You Need a Remote Employee Monitoring Tool
- To establish punctuality among employees
- To estimate their performance by generated data
- To organize the workload to provide high-level productivity
Trello
Running remote may also cause project management problems. Trello is an effective tool for your teams for high-level organization and prioritization of your projects in a flexible and creative manner. The tool allows you to set tasks with deadlines and assign them to those responsible for their implementation. The process of project implementation can be divided into stages and the progress can be tracked. Trello helps you with managing your deadlines and concentrating on your tasks. With the help of accurate organization of tasks, you will be more focused and productive in your work.
Location
Now part of the Atlassian family, Team Trello is headquartered in New York City and distributed all over the world.
Pricing
Trello has three paid plans: Standard ($5 per user, per month), Premium ($10 per user, per month), and Enterprise ($17.50 per user, per month).
Why You Need a Project Management Tool
- Easy to manage employees
- Accurately organize tasks
- Stay focused
Zoom
As communication problems arise when switching to running remote, Zoom comes to help. It is a great alternative that saves in a running remote situation. You can organize your meetings and conferences with video, phone, chat, room and events solutions. The tool offers flexible solutions, especially for remote teams, and they can organize their meetings and conferences anywhere in the world. They just need to have good internet and a computer. In addition, with the help of Zoom, you can organize webinars related to the professional development of remote employees. You can train and educate them through Zoom meetings. Moreover, Zoom ensures productive work by creating trustworthy relations and real-time collaboration.
Location
Zoom Video Communications is headquartered in San Jose, CA and has 6 offices located throughout the US.
Pricing
Zoom has the following plans: Pro,(149.90$ annually), and Business (199.90$ annually).
Why You Need a Communication Platform Tool
- Quick and easy communication
- Video meetings and conferences
- Trustworthy relations and real-time collaboration
Conclusion
You and your team may face various challenges when running remote. It is difficult to estimate employee performance, communicate effectively, and focus. If not addressed, it can eventually lead to burnout, employee monitoring and project management problems. It is, of course, good that remote employees are flexible to choose their routines, however, it takes time and effort to overcome the above-mentioned difficulties. Fortunately, there are now many tools that provide creative, effective, and easy solutions for remote work. To reach productivity while working remotely it is required to manage tasks effectively and meet deadlines strictly. These tools solve communication, concentration, and employee monitoring problems. If remote teams use them, they will avoid burnout and will succeed in their work.
