Working From Home Myths

Working from home, it’s greeted with mixed reactions by many. Some call it lucky, some can’t believe you can work from home, and some just straight up say no way! But with all that is going on across the world in the current day we are forced to do it. We have seen many tips about working from home, and some from us as well. But what about the working from home myths? Let’s dispel them as well!

5 Working From Home Myths to Leave Behind

Googling “working from home” is definitely not the best thing to do. You will see a picture of a man or woman sat on a nice sandy beach. Laptop in front of them doing what they call ‘work;’. Let’s leave that myth behind as well. Unfortunately it is not like this. Some of the more common myths you may hear are the following:-

You’ll have plenty of time for self-care if you work remotely 

You have just started working remotely. You think oh yes now is the time to do all the things I want in my personal life. Make sure I go walking, go to that class I want or even use that gym membership. In actual fact working remotely becomes very busy. 

As we will mention in many of the points below,work life balance needs to be created from the outset. Working remotely is actually far busier than working in the office. Possibly because you are more cautious of the time you have. Making sure there are no disruptions from your family is also a point to consider so that you are left alone to conduct your work. 

Creating time for yourself is a must as you need time to destress and wind down. That is why having a designated office space is the ideal. So you are able to close the door and walk away from your work for at least an hour a day

You’ll have a better work- life balance 

You would presume working from home that it’s much easier to do things around the house. See the kids more and head to the gym whenever you like. But in actual fact you would be very wrong. Mainly due to the fact your home is now your workplace. 

When you are in the workplace, 5PM comes and it is easy to leave your desk, walk out the door and switch off. However, working from home you actually find you work more hours, and it is hard to detract away from work. Most will pop downstairs for a coffee, then back to it. Before they know it, 3-4 hours have passed. 

One of the hardest elements to remote working however is making sure that your family understands your work life balance. Avoiding all home life interruptions is integral to your success with working from home.

Remote employees are lonely 

Imagine that you are sitting at your kitchen table, or in your home office if you are lucky enough, but there is no noise of other people, are you lonely? Most people think that working from home makes you lonely as you do not have that interaction but not many agree.

Many feel that actually working from home your productivity levels are higher as you do not have the 45 minute stop for coffee, or to hear fully about someone’s weekend. This may detract away from building strong inter office relationships, but this can be combated by constant communication via various channels. 

It is to note however the adjustment of working from home can take time, and is not for everyone. But, if you keep the communication levels high, and focus on being productive the days will pass you by.

Remote employees are lazy and barely do any work

The theory for many is that someone who is working remotely does hardly anything, mainly due to not having their boss sit next to them to keep an eye. Or that remote workers tend to slack off for large periods of the day with only a portion of it used for work.

This theory however is disproven time and time again, and can easily be shown. Many remote workers actually say they work harder, and if not more hours due to feeling like they need to prove their worth. Or not having a boss directly next to them they also do not feel the added pressure. 

Many remote workers do also find it harder to create that work life balance as previously discussed above. Therefore they are far less lazy than some staff, and their work output is a lot greater.

You can’t be a people manager if you’re remote 

Remote working is still taking a while to be undertaken by many companies, mainly due to the issues around managing someone who is not physically in the office. This then translates into those who want to become managers. Many of those who want to step up have to sacrifice their remote working if they have it. But does this have to be the case?

Remote working is built around trust, and that trust comes from either having experienced workers, or people who have been at your company for a number of years. Technology has really helped to reinforce remote working as well. The use of Zoom, WhatsApp and Slack have been great for keeping people involved in the daily business. 

Outside of communication, platforms exist where you know if your employees have logged onto their system, or are working on a task. This may seem invasive, but is a good way to track employee output. 

The long and short of it is that as long as you have the right people as your management team, who feel comfortable managing remotely it can be done. Technology, and building strong working relationships are going to be the foundations for success.

If you are a manager who is looking to manage remotely you may be apprehensive. Maybe some of the tips in this article will be able to help. 11 Essential Tips for Effectively Managing Remote Employees

To Conclude 

Working from home is a very interesting concept, and for some it may not be suitable. However working from home does present a number of opportunities for a more productive work space. As well as time to do what you need to as well as really being able to immerse yourself in your work. There are many working from home myths, and the ones above are just some that are discussed regularly. You should now see that most of them are easy to dispel.

If you have now dispelled the working from home myths, then maybe now is the time to consider looking at some marketing principles.