5 Aspects of Remote Work That Can Annoy CEOs

“Remote work is the future.” How many times have you heard this statement? A lot, probably, whether online, at keynotes, in conversations with co-workers or even during the recruitment process. Telecommuting isn’t just another trend, it’s here to stay. Technology has developed, and it has significantly changed our behavior. 

Since we started using it in our favor, it’s not surprising that we expect to be able to work remotely. However, when remote work enters a business area, not everyone knows how to approach this issue. Misunderstanding, in turn, often raises concerns in the case of telecommuting.

What can you do about it? As an HR employee or manager or team leader, you can enhance your knowledge and dispel the doubts of others, also your CEO.

Lack of control over your remote employees

Productivity is one of the traits of the ideal employee. Employee productivity is crucial to the success of any business. It’s not surprising that an employer can have doubts as to whether someone works effectively without visible supervision. In an office, there is always the possibility to check up on your employees at their desks.

However, surely you’ve realized that being present doesn’t necessarily mean being productive. That’s why telecommuting shouldn’t sound like the enemy of effectiveness. What your CEO might not know is that the top 3 reasons people would recommend working remotely to others are flexibility, no need for commuting to work and increased productivity (The Remote Work Report).

Working from home can increase employee productivity. Besides that, when supervising remote employees, you can take advantage of digital tools to do so. Instead of focusing on the amount of time-worked, focus on the number of achievements.

The problem with team communication

We live in a world where we are used to immediate notifications; this also applies to work – whenever the question arises, we want the other person to reply immediately. How do you not lose that when your team is spread across the world? 

If your employees are telecommuting, it doesn’t mean they’re working in complete isolation. Managing remote teams will differ from managing on-site ones; however, with a proper remote work policy, your team can be more willing to cooperate. They’ll follow a course you set.

As an HR employee, you can also suggest to other teams to set up a weekly all-team online meeting. Help to plan it thoroughly before the first one takes place, so it’s conducted smoothly, and there’s no need to worry about team communication. But that is not all.

When it comes to the daily conversations of a remote team, nothing is more important than digital communication tools. All employees should have the possibility to experience interactions, similar to those that happen in the office.

Telecommuting is an all-or-nothing proposition

When dealing with recruiting, you’ll receive questions from candidates about the possibility of working remotely. It’s undeniable that nowadays, telecommuting is one of the most significant benefits that a company can offer. 

Typically, the only reason that could convince a candidate to resign from being a remote employee is an outstanding salary offer. However, companies are more likely to reduce expenses than increase them. To show your CEO that becoming a remote-friendly company is a risk worth taking, start by telling about its benefits.

First off, employee productivity – as mentioned earlier. According to a FlexJobs survey, 65% of workers claimed to be more productive while telecommuting as compared to a traditional office environment. Another argument worth mentioning is the fact that remote work decreases real estate costs and overheads. American Express, for example, saved between $10 to $15 million in annual real estate costs. If your company is much smaller, then this can be even more relevant. 

Savings can be used for a company’s development. Also, find out if your company’s competitors offer remote work. Such data can help your CEO realize that it is more common than it may seem.

Company expenses for remote employees

There’s no doubt a company must prepare the switch into a remote-friendly workstyle. If you work in an organization that isn’t accustomed to remote employees, the steps that need to be implemented may seem overwhelming. 

Before you ask your CEO for budget allocation on digital tools, start with developing internal content such as a remote employee handbook that should include a remote work policy explaining how your remote team communication will be established. With a good guideline, you’ll lower the risk of miscommunication. 

As a recruiter, you should be finding new ways of evaluating whether candidates can work effectively as remote workers, before hiring them. CEOs are often concerned that they will waste company resources on disengaged employees. 

Find out about personal work habits – the way they organize the workflow and what tools your future remote employees have used in the past to communicate. Agile work management is critical when deciding on a remote working candidate.

Our article “Hiring a Remote Developer While Scaling up a Company – 5 Must Know Facts” may also be a useful source of knowledge.

Senior team members may feel underappreciated

Monitoring the level of employee satisfaction is one of many of the HR department’s responsibilities. When workers don’t feel appreciated at work, they tend to switch jobs or become disengaged employees. When you are implementing telecommuting in your company, make sure that no one is left out.

Show your CEO that it is a benefit not only for new hires but also for senior team members. Remote work helps to deal with career burnout. How? By giving employees more flexibility to decide how they work. 

Digital tools make it possible to cooperate effectively with your remote team from home, which most of the time is a much more friendly and less stressful environment than the office. Moreover, the time that a remote employee saves on commuting to work might be used to pursue hobbies or skills development. 

That’s not all. Letting employees work from home and structuring the workloads that suit them will provide satisfied remote team members who are more willing to bring efforts to their projects.

Conclusion

When you look at all of the problems listed above, you will find that most of them result from not understanding the benefits of having remote employees. Telecommuting can bring a lot of good to a company, as long as it is implemented according to a previously prepared plan. It is also unnecessary to throw into a deep end right away. Start with allowing employees to work remotely 1-2 days a week, and see how it goes.