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FOR REMOTE WORKERS AND DIGITAL NOMADS
Remote work is not just about working, but also an opportunity for you to interact with different cultures and learn from colleagues from all over the world. What are the advantages and disadvantages of remote working, and how to work remotely effectively? Let's find out in the following article! During the pandemic, remote working is more popular than ever. More and more remote work options are available as companies and businesses realize the potential of this model. In this article, Waw Asia would like to introduce the pros and cons of working remotely, and effective methods to improve the remote working experience. Let's explore together! Advantages of remote workingFlexibility of working time and placeTo work remotely, all you need is a computer with a stable internet connection (and sometimes a powerful configuration too). You are completely free to choose where to work based on your preferences. In addition, flexible working time is also a plus. Self-organizing and prioritizing important tasks become easier than ever. You can work at hours you find most effective and yield productive results! Save time and moneyWorking remotely means saving a lot of money on transportation, gas, office attires, socialization costs, and cosmetics, etc. You can also cut a lot of money spent on meetings and facework that used to be quite expensive. For example, you can reduce commuting costs to-and-from the office every day. Online communication is just a few messages or calls away, which is more convenient than meeting in person. You can also avoid social interactions or unwanted gossip at work. Female workers can also save money on makeup kits, which can take up a considerable amount of time for applying before going to work every morning. Enhance work productivityWorking remotely is conducive to better performance. You can allocate an appropriate amount of time for each task to achieve the highest results. According to a study by Capgemini, on average, remote workers' productivity has increased by 13-24% compared to traditional working. Obviously, the autonomy and flexibility of remote work has helped many remote workers prioritize their work, thereby achieving significant work productivity. Work-life balanceA major reason why many people give up working in the workplace is the lack of time for themselves and their families. Instead, when working remotely, it's easier to schedule your time to prioritize these relationships. As long as you ensure efficiency, you are free to choose whether it is spending an entire morning or afternoon for yourself or with your beloveds. This will improve your work-life balance significantly. Disadvantages of remote workingSelf-disciplineWorking remotely requires self-discipline and self-motivation to get things done. No longer under peer pressure or supervision, you can be easily distracted, which may negatively affect your productivity. Facing loneliness head-onThe vibrant atmosphere among colleagues also almost disappears when you choose to work remotely. No matter how exciting Slack or Zalo messages are, if you are a people person, you will still feel lost in this new working environment by yourself. Feelings of loneliness are almost inevitable when you start transitioning to remote working. Lacking self-motivationUndeniably, communication between people gives us a sense of belonging and the drive to do better. Without face-to-face conversations and communication, it's easy to lose motivation when working from afar. You no longer receive motivational speeches or work compliments, but instead have to inspire yourself to work as the day begins. How to overcome the disadvantages of to work effectively To reduce the anxiety of working remotely, I suggests some solutions that you can apply to have a plain-sailing remote work experience: Build a plan to work with the new teamTake advantage of the onboarding time to learn more about the job and company culture to prepare yourself early on. After that, you should participate in building a work plan that is suitable for the whole team and also set honest expectations about your skills, strengths, and weaknesses. This will help colleagues have a clear view of your abilities and personality to cooperate more effectively. Communicate regularly with colleaguesWith respect to cultural differences among employees, foreign companies usually encourage communication between the members to understand their career expectations. Therefore, do not hesitate to ask when you have questions about your job or company culture for a better understanding and command at your job. Respect the differencesThe diversity in the team contributes to the remote working culture and the success of the company, so learn and have fun with the team that works with you! Be open-minded, ready to learn new things and perspectives so that you can develop stronger work skills and better relationships with your colleagues. Embrace a learn-and-fail attitudeMistakes are parts and parcel of working. Foreign enterprises often encourage employees to learn from their mistakes and to not repeat them. Don't make too many mistakes, of course, but make sure that each mistake at work is offset by a valuable lesson later. Building a home officeA comfortable yet professional workspace plays a decisive role in your productivity. Everyone will have a different definition of being comfortable and professional: most importantly, choose an environment where you can spend a long time focusing on work. If you have to attend online meetings, make sure the space is quiet enough. In short, whether it's a familiar cafe or a corner of the house customized to your liking, as long as you feel comfortable and full of energy to start working, it's perfect! Organize work plan by week/monthTo get used to the remote working cycle, you can start by setting your own working hours: what time of day are you most productive? Then, alternate breaks to avoid overworking. Once you have formed this schedule, try to follow it and keep yourself motivated when working remotely! Use support toolsRemote work often requires specific softwares. Therefore, I recommend the following popular remote work applications and softwares for your reference:
- Slack: A very popular platform when working remotely. Slack allows you to join different channels to discuss work, send files, chat… With a lot of useful add-ons such as calendar appointments, reminders, post pinning, Slack can be a highly functional online office. - Microsoft Teams: Teams allows you to join channels (just like Slack). Because it is a product of Microsoft, Teams has built-in features, such as creating appointment reminders, large group video calls, etc. which are highly compatible with other Microsoft Office products. If you want to send an appointment, you just need to create a calendar in Outlook, there will be a meeting link in Teams automatically sent to the participants. - Google Meet: Google's meeting platform. With Google Meet, you can easily video call for meetings, with full basic features such as screen sharing, messaging… Another plus of Google Meet is that the meeting link is automatically generated and sent to the participants’ Gmail right away. All they need to do is to click on the link to enter the meeting. - Zoom: Online meeting software, gaining popularity since COVID-19. Zoom is integrated with many features for meetings: video calling, screen sharing, file sending, messaging, and breakout rooms. Although there are many useful features available, Zoom's free version limits meeting times and the number of participants. - Zalo: A social network of Vietnamese people, recently used a lot as an online office. The advantage of Zalo is that it will send instant messages and notifications, as well as user-friendliness for Vietnamese-speaking users. Zalo is fully functional as a messaging-social platform. In addition, this social network has also recently updated the feature of delegating tasks, making it more suitable for the needs of working remotely. - Todoist: Available in both desktop and app versions, Todoist is extremely useful in helping you organize your work and plan. With this mobile app/software, you can create to-do lists, prioritize important tasks, delegate tasks, and personalize your workspace (similar to the Kanban model - a lean solution to manage and improve work quality).
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AuthorThe Remote Worker Archives
January 2022
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