The seriousness of COVID-19 and how each country is responding to the pandemic has forced countless businesses to abruptly shift to remote operations. For some this has been an easy and somewhat exciting reinvention, perhaps due to systems already in place to facilitate working from home or simply an appetite to give it a go. But for others, in particular more established organizations or those with archaic processes, the adjustment has been a challenge logistically and psychologically resulting in job losses, employee dissatisfaction and a likely decrease in profits.
But with a slew of online collaborative tools readily available and broadband penetration rates increasing, connecting to your team through remote channels is not as unsettling as you might think.
COVID-19 aside, the trend toward disrupting the traditional 9-5 grind has been on the increase for some time. While telecommuting still has its rightful naysayers that shun the practice due to a lack of discipline, there are multiple studies and discussions that show remote workers are less stressed and more engaged with their work. According to the UK Office of National Statistics, time spent just getting to and from the office leaves employees with lower life satisfaction and higher anxiety levels; no doubt this can hurt productivity! And in our current situation, individuals are increasingly concerned about being exposed to the COVID-19 when they leave the house – an extra layer of stress that will undoubtedly affect their quality of work.
Before the onslaught of COVID-19, Makeen had an even mix of happy office dwellers and remote workers across our 10 locations and had been using telecommuting throughout. As we already had solid systems in place, moving to a 100% remote model has been relatively seamless. But we know this isn’t the case for many businesses, and with this in mind want to share four hidden benefits your company should gain by introducing remote collaboration at this time:
- No Lost Ideas & Opportunities. Our team greatly benefits from the fact that all of our communication and exchange of knowledge tends to be written and preserved through the online portals that connect us. From being able to trace back to that overlooked Slack chat containing proposed coding changes, to keeping track of tasks and assignments with Asana, we maintain efficiency and don’t miss out on the great ideas that could have otherwise been lost as scribbles on a piece of paper, or a forgotten hallway chat.
- Our Meetings are Efficient. When you know that you only have one hour with someone over Zoom or Skype, you don’t waste a single minute. Yes, it’s important to share a few giggles and personal moments, but our meetings maintain a high level of focus and intention. Working deliberately toward a solution becomes a priority when you can’t just walk over to someone’s desk throughout the day.
- Superficiality is Lost. Working remotely strips you of many material judgments that can come from needing to dress up and act a certain way in the office. At the end of the day, your co-workers judge you solely on your work and ability to collaborate.
- Work-Life Balance is Possible. When you remove the office environment from taking up half your day, you have more room to create a social life that isn’t based on work. Also, you’re not affecting your co-workers on the days that you feel tired and irritable, which happens to the best of us! Having a balance between your personal life and what you do for a living makes for a happier team and greater collaboration.
Whether it’s a flexible work schedule or pure telecommuting, the evidence that remote collaboration can work in your favor can be seen in our clients’ on-going satisfaction with the solutions we deliver time after time.
Do you see yourself thriving in the kind of culture that pairs work-life-balance with the chance to collaborate on some of the world’s most advanced software projects for top organizations?
Makeen is continuing to grow our workforce even during these challenging times – view our Jobs page to see the remote opportunities currently available.
