The way we live, what we eat, what our routine looks like and how we work – million of trends are shaping our day-to-day life. If someone said 10 or 15 years ago that soon it would not be necessary to daily wake up and go to the office, we’d just roll our eyes back.
But it’s exactly what we have today. We are witnessing a global shift to a remote format of working. In this article, we’d like to share our experience of working remotely and tell you why we consider this format the right choice.
Is remote work really a trend?
Before we deep-dive in our own stories, look at the interesting statistics we’ve collected:
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As many as 70% of people in the world work from home at least once a week;
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16% of all companies worldwide are fully remote, and 40% more combine two options for their employees;
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Simultaneously, the estimations show that the remote workforce has increased by 140% since 2005;
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According to various predictions, by 2025 the number of people working remotely will compete with those working in offices;
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AND.CO company and Remote Year have recently calculated that if people worked remotely half of the time, it could result in over $700 billion in terms of national savings;
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Over 80% of millennials want to work remotely full-time – a survey by FlexJobs has revealed;
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The industries with the highest numbers of remote workers are IT, education and training, sales, accounting, and finance, customer service.
Quite impressive, isn’t it? We, in Zero to One Search, share the philosophy of remote work and think that it is the future. Below is what our team members tell about the pros and cons of the working-from-home concept.
We hope that our experience will help you to understand whether remote work is an option for you or your company.
Working remotely: opportunity or challenge?
Remote job is all about flexibility
“A plus of the remote job is a flexible schedule. Yes, all employees in Zero to One should participate in group video calls, but it is still quite a flexible thing. When I started my business and began building the team, I knew that I needed people who share this philosophy and value this way of life. We can travel, move from one country or city to another and so on. Some guys in our team teach in their spare time, for example.
At the same time, now, when our team became much bigger than in the beginning, I face some issues related to the remote format of our work. For example, I do not always understand whether my message has reached my team, sometimes there are difficulties with communication. To settle any issue, I have to call up, although in the office I could just say something loudly across the open space, and everyone would hear.”
You risk finding yourself working 24/7
“What I like the most about working remotely is freedom and responsibility. Now I am in charge of many more things in my life compared to when I had an office job – I make my own schedule, choose a place where to work, people I want to communicate with and even what and where to eat. There is no need to go anywhere every day – I can start my working day as soon as I want. After one year of working remotely, I am sleeping longer and enjoy that.
As I previously lived in Asia and Europe and enjoyed, for example, winter without snow or European early spring, I appreciate that remote job gives me the opportunity to live where I like. It would also be nice to have unlimited visas to beloved countries 🙂
However, a remote job is not only about benefits. Among the shortcomings are limited personal connections and fewer opportunities to learn from your colleagues. You cannot just have lunch together with your team or go for a spontaneous coffee break. It is also much easier to get feedback or ask questions when you work in an office.
It is also harder to switch from working mode to relaxing. Now I see that it is better to have your own strict schedule and do all jobs, including check emails, Skype or Telegram within these working hours. Otherwise, you risk finding yourself working 24/7.”
I’ve almost forgotten what the hell public transport is
“It may sound obvious, but the main advantage of the remote job is the possibility to work from literally any corner of the planet. This is especially important for me, as I live quite far from my parents and can come to see them as often as I want without stopping working.
Another plus is that I’ve almost forgotten what the hell public transport is. Moreover, I can create my own schedule and fit all the activities I like never at the expense of anything.
As for minuses. Yes, sometimes you start missing real-time communication with people. Also, when I conduct interviews with candidates via Skype, I often think that perhaps live conversation could be more fruitful for both sides. Even though you see each other through a laptop camera.
And one more thing. If working remotely, a person is much more productive, as he performs many more tasks for the same number of hours than in the office. On the one hand, it’s good for professional development, but on the other, it’s a minus in terms of resources spent.”
You can always choose your working hours on your own
“There are several significant advantages of the remote format of a job: you can always choose your working hours on your own and be free in making a schedule. You also have no need to use public transport daily and have the opportunity to work with people from different countries and cultures.
But sometimes, if working remotely, you can start feeling that kind of loneliness and isolation. Communication issues that sometimes arise only exacerbate this problem.”
It’s always up to you to choose the format you want to work in. Indeed, sometimes it’s better to come to an office every day, for example, to strengthen ties in a team and develop working discipline. But if the remote model fits the business you are involved in – it can significantly boost productivity, reduce expenses, level of stress and help to maintain a healthy work-life balance!
Do you consider to start working remotely? Whether it could be an option for you or for your company? Please, share your opinion in comments!
In case you would like to try this format, please, check our jobs. We are constantly looking for new people to join our international recruitment agency.
