Unpuzzling the Misconceptions about Remote Work

By unpuzzling these misconceptions, remote work becomes a grand window of opportunity that you would not want to miss. Remote work is definitely not a puzzle, and it is high time that remote work myths be demystified. Undoubtedly, with this rapid development of technology, there is no wonder that people have different ways of perceiving when it comes to remote work, but what is the truth behind these so-called even "myths"?

The concept of remote work is not new, regardless of the indirect marketing made by the pandemic. It all started in 1973 when Jack Nilles, a NASA engineer, invented “telecommuting,” a term for communicating with email, video apps, and other communication tools outside the typical work environment

5 remote workers testing the effectiveness of telecommuting initiated the gigantic shift of more than 500 million remote workers worldwide in 2022.

We can say for sure that remote work is not a new boom, but for sure, it is a huge boom that is developing at a rapid pace. But, unfortunately, this rapid development of the future of work makes it difficult for all people to catch up with its pace. And this leads to different misconceptions.

To clear the air a little bit, you’ll find below 4 of the most common misconceptions people have about remote work. Don’t worry if you find yourself in some of them too.

The lack of regular human interaction can lead to depression and ineffective work among team members

There is no doubt that human interaction plays a major role in the emotional and physical health of human beings. But is the real human interaction missing if it's done in a virtual form? Definitely not!  Different people not being in the same place physically still have the ability to cooperate and exchange feedback with each other.

Especially in this innovative era where AI has surpassed every expectation by coming closer than ever to human intelligence. We are constantly in different virtual interactions, from video calling to social media posting and this has only helped people to stay connected with each other.

With this being said, it's not the remote or  the traditional work that causes emotional burdens or inefficiency from people who work.  These types of work aren't determinant for this phenomenon but both of them can be, if different elements exist. Different elements such as: a non-collaborative and toxic environment, poor organization of time and tasks, poor leadership and management, and non-consideration of time zone.  A non-collaborative and toxic environment can greatly decrease the quality of work, life and health. Poor organization of time can be a factor of stress since it leaves things for the last minute. Poor leadership and management can cause a lot of chaos generally leaving team members confused and stressed. Not being mindful of time zone in a remote work environment can be perceived as a lack of consideration and leave the door open to frustration.

What makes remote work a luxury but also a challenge is exactly the freedom that comes with it; the freedom to organize your own day, your own input and your time to reach the desired results.  But if this freedom is  not used in a strategic way, it will affect the worker productivity increase

Working from home is unproductive

Working from home is not the only option when talking about remote work. Beach is an affordable option too. (depending on different regions). For several days a week, some people choose to work from home, some at coffee shops, others at parks, beaches and some work better at night or day.

Our CEO & Co-founder Leo for example prefers his working space to be in the forest, surrounded by nature. Productivity and ideas for him really come as a breeze of fresh air. He affirms feeling definitely inspired by such a serene environment during his brainstorming sessions. What about you? How does productivity come for you and where? If you do not know yet, that’s a good thing because to find it you will have fun exploring.

 CEO & Co-founder working remotely surrounded by nature

On the other hand, the sentence “Working from home is unproductive” is a really abused sentence because it puts all the blame on a limiting belief and feeds a victim mentality.   But if different ways are not explored, then the true potential is never released. Working outside the traditional office requires taking the necessary time to know yourself better. The place of work has a considerable role in the efficiency of work, but the most significant role is in the person doing the job.

One thing about remote jobs is that if there’s no passion for what you are doing, you won’t do that job for too long. But isn’t that the same even if you don’t work remotely?

“It is the ultimate luxury to combine passion and contribution. It’s also a very clear path to happiness.” – Sheryl Sandberg

What we are trying to say is that being productive finally rests on the person working, on the attitude he wants to adopt to perform his job, no matter the place from which he is doing it.

Employees may procrastinate and do other things rather than work, therefore is micromanagement a must?

The ones that can practice this behavior remotely are the ones who will practice the same behavior even in a non-remote job, as soon as the boss turns his/her back.

Besides, it is not about the intensity of control but the intensity of understanding. What do I mean by the intensity of understanding?

Simple but not so simple…

For example, employers should understand that everyone has their own way of working and their own way of producing results. Therefore, micromanagement can be really risky and non-beneficial for both parties, even though it may look like just a manager doing his job.

Nevertheless, employees can initiate transparency in different ways. If employees feel that they are not being trusted by their employers, right approach to overcome this would be to play the transparency card in different ways, from reporting their tasks to organizing various meetings to discuss their input and viewpoints.

Employers are at times suspicious that their employees are watching a movie or making excessive use of water cooler moments.  Possibilities to wipe away such suspicion are endless provided the willingness is there.  However, no matter what scenarios are being laid out, we can all agree that in the end, what really matters is the output

Remote work can affect the balance between life and work

Yes, it’s true but not necessarily in a bad context. With today’s modernization, the balance between life and work is challenging in both ways, especially when the organization of time and tasks is not made in a realistic and analyzed way.

What people mostly struggle with when it comes to the balance of life and work is discipline. Yes, you heard that right! Discipline, because the number of distractions are endless if you choose to focus on them instead of focusing on achieving your professional and personal goals.  The whole issue is in fact a question of self-discipline and self-management.  One good piece of advice: Discipline yourself, restore life and work balance.

As the great Philosopher, Aristotle says: “Through discipline comes freedom.”

These were four of the biggest misconceptions people have about remote work.

At the end the common misconceptions about remote work are a puzzle that cannot be solved for some. But for others this puzzle can be solved with some little moves. It all depends finally on how the player combines the little cubes. By unpuzzling these misconceptions, remote work becomes a grand window of opportunity that you would not want to miss. Remote work is definitely not a puzzle, and it is high time that remote work myths be demystified. Undoubtedly, with this rapid development of technology, there is no wonder that people have different ways of perceiving when it comes to remote work, but what is the truth behind these so-called even "myths"?

The concept of remote work is not new, regardless of the indirect marketing made by the pandemic. It all started in 1973 when Jack Nilles, a NASA engineer, invented “telecommuting,” a term for communicating with email, video apps, and other communication tools outside the typical work environment

5 remote workers testing the effectiveness of telecommuting initiated the gigantic shift of more than 500 million remote workers worldwide in 2022.

We can say for sure that remote work is not a new boom, but for sure, it is a huge boom that is developing at a rapid pace. But, unfortunately, this rapid development of the future of work makes it difficult for all people to catch up with its pace. And this leads to different misconceptions.

To clear the air a little bit, you’ll find below 4 of the most common misconceptions people have about remote work. Don’t worry if you find yourself in some of them too.

The lack of regular human interaction can lead to depression and ineffective work among team members

There is no doubt that human interaction plays a major role in the emotional and physical health of human beings. But is the real human interaction missing if it's done in a virtual form? Definitely not!  Different people not being in the same place physically still have the ability to cooperate and exchange feedback with each other. Especially in this innovative era where AI has surpassed every expectation by coming closer than ever to human intelligence. We are constantly in different virtual interactions, from video calling to social media posting and this has only helped people to stay connected with each other.

With this being said, it's not the remote or  the traditional work that causes emotional burdens or inefficiency from  people who work.  These types of work aren't determinant for this phenomenon but both of them can be, if different elements exist. Different elements such as: a non-collaborative and toxic environment, poor organization of time and tasks, poor leadership and management, non-consideration of time zone.  A non-collaborative and toxic environment can greatly decrease the quality of work, life and health. Poor organization of time can be a factor of stress since it leaves things for the last minute. Poor leadership and management can cause a lot of chaos generally leaving team members confused and stressed. Not being mindful of time zone in a remote work environment can be perceived as a lack of consideration and leave the door open to frustration.

What makes remote work a luxury but also a challenge is exactly the freedom that comes with it; the freedom to organize your own day, your own input and your time to reach the desired results.  But if this freedom is  not used in a strategic way, it will affect the worker productivity increase

Working from home is unproductive

Working from home is not the only option when talking about remote work. Beach is an affordable option too. (depending on different regions). For several days a week, some people choose to work from home, some at coffee shops, others at parks, and beaches, and some work better at night or day.

Our CEO & Co-founder Leo for example prefers his working space to be in the forest, surrounded by nature. Productivity and ideas for him really come as a breeze of fresh air. He affirms feeling definitely inspired by such a serene environment during his brainstorming sessions. What about you? How does productivity come for you and where? If you do not know yet, that’s a good thing because to find it you will have fun exploring.
On the other hand, the sentence “Working from home is unproductive” is a really abused sentence because it puts all the blame on a limiting belief and feeds a victim mentality.   But if different ways are not explored, then the true potential is never released. Working outside the traditional office requires taking the necessary time to know yourself better. The place of work has a considerable role in the efficiency of work, but the most significant role is in the person doing the job.

One thing about remote jobs is that if there’s no passion for what you are doing, you won’t do that job for too long. But isn’t that the same even if you don’t work remotely?

“It is the ultimate luxury to combine passion and contribution. It’s also a very clear path to happiness.” – Sheryl Sandberg

What we are trying to say is that being productive finally rests on the person working, on the attitude he wants to adopt to perform his job, no matter the place from which he is doing it.

Employees may procrastinate and do other things rather than work, therefore is micromanagement a must?

The ones that can practice this behavior remotely are the ones who will practice the same behavior even in a non-remote job, as soon as the boss turns his/her back.

Besides, it is not about the intensity of control but the intensity of understanding. What do I mean by the intensity of understanding?

Simple but not so simple…

For example, employers should understand that everyone has their own way of working and their own way of producing results. Therefore, micromanagement can be really risky and non-beneficial for both parties, even though it may look like just a manager doing his job.

Nevertheless, the employees can initiate transparency in different ways. If employees feel that they are not being trusted by their employers, aright approach to overcome this would be to play the transparency card indifferent ways, from reporting their tasks to organizing various meetings to discuss their input and viewpoints.

Employers are at times suspicious that their employees  are watching a movie or making excessive use  of water cooler moments.  Possibilities to wipe away such suspicion are endless provided  the willingness is there.  However, no matter what scenarios are being laid out, we can all agree that at the end, what really matters is the output

Remote work can affect the balance between life and work

Yes, it’s true but not necessarily in a bad context. With today’s modernization, the balance between life and work is challenging in both ways, especially when the organization of time and tasks is not made in a realistic and analyzed way.

What people mostly struggle with when it comes to the balance of life and work is discipline. Yes, you heard that right! Discipline, because the number of distractions are endless if you choose to focus on them instead of focusing on achieving your professional and personal goals.  The whole issue is in fact a question of self-discipline and self-management.  One good piece of advice: Discipline yourself, restore life and work balance.

As the great Philosopher, Aristotle says: “Through discipline comes freedom.”

These were four of the biggest misconceptions people have about remote work.

In the end, the common misconceptions about remote work are a puzzle that cannot be solved for some. But for others, this puzzle can be solved with some little moves. It all depends finally on how the player combines the little cubes.

For more information, please visit our online office and send us a message at https://cubo.to/steffi.

You are also most welcome to schedule a call and book a demo; it will be our pleasure to personally walk you through the app.