Having Trouble Embracing Remote Work? You Need to Overcome These 3 Limiting Beliefs
In today’s modern day and age, it is taken into consideration that the culture of remote working is increasing its momentum with time due to an increase in its flexibility, independence, and ability for people to balance between personal and family life. A large number, still, find an ‘acceptance problem’ when it comes to remote working. It is this hesitation that usually arises from some limiting beliefs, which in turn may limit productivity and satisfaction. This post identifies three of the most common limiting beliefs when it comes to remote work and shares strategies on how you can overcome each one. Remote work is less productive. One of the most common limiting beliefs about remote work is the belief that remote work reduces productivity. Most people feel that working from any office environment is likely to reduce focus and efficiency compared to remote working and, in particular, is likely to increase distraction and procrastination. However, this belief fails to acknowledge the many factors that contribute to productivity in a remote setting. Overcoming the belief: Focus on outcomes, not hours: Remote work focuses on the work reflecting what an employee has accomplished as opposed to how long they sat in front of a computer. It encourages employees to have goals and deadlines set in stone, and there is increased focus on the value of delivering quality work, regardless of location. Technology could better be put to use through the application of tools of collaboration, such as project management software and communication platforms, for the smoother running of the workflow and bringing everybody on board. The tools would be able to replicate the collaborative atmosphere of an office, thus fostering productivity from literally anywhere. Establish limits: Employees should be encouraged to develop uninterrupted workstations in space, set specific hours for working, and be available to the team. Establishing the limits between work and personal life helps one be more attentive and stay productive the whole day. Encourage breaks: Remote work should not be just from morning to evening. Encourage breaks for the employees; encourage them towards regularly stepping away from the screen and taking some rest, as this is because research has shown that taking breaks can actually improve concentration and productivity in the long run. Remote work leads to isolation and disconnection. A common limiting belief about remote work is that one ends up feeling isolated and not a part of the team or organization. But for some people, there may be moments of feeling like they miss out on important conversations and opportunities to work collaboratively, as well as missing the physical camaraderie of an office environment. Overcoming the belief: Prioritize communication: The most effective way of communication in this kind of working environment is to enhance the level of communication through video check-ins, instant messages, and virtual meetings within the team members. Otherwise, the team could also communicate in real time with the help of certain platforms, such as Slack, Microsoft Teams, or Zoom. Encourage virtual social interaction: Other than serious business discussions, conduct a couple of virtual social activities in a month, such as virtual coffee breaks or team-building activities by organizing some games online, or happy hours. The ability to conduct such informal meetings helps build the relationship and, thus, builds the belonging among teams. Team collaboration: Develop a spirit of collaborative culture, whereby the teammates work together with shared ideas, give feedback, or work on projects using collaborative tools like Google Docs or Trello. Working together on common objectives allows the individual to remove feelings of isolation and build up their own sense of belonging to the team. Organize live meetings: In the case of remote work, when the schedule is free from time restrictions, it would be very cool to come and get to know their team members through occasional personal meetings. Organize team retreats, off-site meetings, or social events so there is a reason to come together and build more relationships. Remote work blurs the boundaries between work and personal life. It is a general concern for most who ever consider working from home. They worry that it messes up with the borderlines between work and personal life, resulting in burnout and worsening of well-being. People are definitely going to face a whole lot of challenges with detaching themselves from work without such physical boundaries, as they are going to be “on” all the time. Remote work lacks supervision and accountability. A very common criticism for remote work goes to show that if the employees, they tend not to be monitored all the time, then they will be slacking off, or even less accountable in working. Such perceptions are traditional. They could even arise from a belief that visiting an office is what makes someone productive. Overcoming the belief: Focus on deliverable outcomes, not micromanaging the workforce on presence or level of activities. Provide clear expectations on projects or responsibilities with deadlines and empower them to own those. Follow down through the project management tools to ensure that tasks are done, set the milestones, and their performance monitored. Follow with the team on a regular basis to ensure that all of them are on course and deliver their piece of the pie. Encourage self-discipline: Remote work is much self-discipline and individual accountability. Encourage goal-setting, determination to accomplish the set goals, prioritize tasks, and time management very effectively. Empower the employees to take ownership of their work in order to create a culture of accountability and trust within the team. Overcoming the belief: Establishing a daily routine: Encourage the clients to have a daily routine of fixed hours of work, fixed hours of break, and fixed hours of personal activities. This is a laid structure of how the day will be spent, and in line with this, hence, it may bring normalcy in regard to when to work and when it is time for personal time. Personal boundaries: This means they should be able to set clear boundaries between work and personal life. Defining the space of personal workspace, turning off notifications from anything related to work outside the working hours, and the availability to colleagues are parts of respecting others’ boundaries towards a balanced life in the remote environment. Self-care activity: Encourage and remind everyone about the need for self-care and assure them that some time in a day should be utilized for activities that increase physical and mental well-being, like exercise, meditation, or any hobby. Remind that focusing on the self is important to maintain ongoing productivity and satisfaction. Encourage time off: Ask and encourages people to make and take regular time off for rest and recovery. From vacation to mental health days to long weekends, time off is a critical way for employees to avoid burning out and maintain overall well-being. Remote work lacks supervision and accountability. What always comes to mind with remote work is the most feared question: how will the employees be without supervision or be less responsible and productive in their work? This is perhaps because of the traditional belief of the level of productivity being directly proportional to the presence of the employees in the office. Overcoming the belief: Focus on deliverables: Instead of trying to micromanage the workforce by checking their presence and activity levels, check on the outcomes and deliverables of their work. Conclusion
