Telework in Barcelona, also known as remote working, has become a common practice in many companies around the world. Thanks to advances in technology, it is becoming easier to work from home, for example, and perhaps never go to the office of the company for which you perform certain tasks, which may be on the other side of the planet.
On the other hand, for many companies it is very useful to be able to offer this modality, since it allows them to reduce office or infrastructure costs. However, in the case of Spain, according to the Spanish National Statistics Institute (INE), only 27% of companies allow teleworking.
Despite this, the growth of this new work culture has had a great boost, due to the entire crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Many companies and organizations are looking for new ways to make teleworking a reality, with the help of experts like the Remote Work Association. However, with all the benefits of this modality, new challenges also come and those responsible for human talent will have to face it so that it really gives good results both for the company and for people.
What is the culture of telework?
To understand the culture of teleworking, not only do you have to modify traditional work beliefs, you also have to adjust certain aspects of our daily life to master the entire process that involves moving from the office to the home. According to Javier Pastor, editor at Xataka: “working from home is (or should be), just like working from anywhere else in terms of rhythms and productivity.”
In order to be productive and have a good work rhythm, you have to be very responsible with the hours, work spaces and interactions with other people, or with distraction agents that may affect your work rhythm and productivity. Taking on the challenges of separating personal time from work is important, because doing everything at home makes it very easy to overcome the limits between one and the other. Free time as a result of eliminating travel, for example, can be used for personal growth, such as sports or continuous training.
The culture of teleworking affects the entire organization as a whole. Establishing concrete goals and objectives for each area is a primary task. Thus, each person and department will be very clear about their responsibilities, without the need to waste time in redundant meetings or diversion with irrelevant tasks. In remote work, the methodology by objectives takes on a special role, and not the schedule, which implies a transformation of leadership by those responsible for the company.
The benefits of telework
There are many benefits when you start to apply this modality correctly and efficiently, both for the worker and for the company.
In the case of workers, the benefits start from deciding what their work schedule will be and how to approach the separation of time for personal events or other types of activities, to being able to control the environment to their liking to be more comfortable and thus be much more efficient.
Another important aspect, especially if you live in a busy city, is having to avoid getting to your workplace. Using public transportation or spending money on fuel can be determining factors for many workers.
In the case of the company, the benefits are also extensive. According to Business Insider magazine, “business can benefit from the fact that teleworking professionals. By having more freedom to organize their own lives, as well as an evident increase in the balance between work and the personal sphere, productivity tends to increase ”
In addition, the reduction of office, energy, food and maintenance expenses is significant and in some cases it can be the factor that helps many SMEs to stay afloat and save costs. For large companies it also represents a way to reduce costs and risks within their offices.
The challenges of teleworking
Each enterprise has its challenges and its difficulties, remote work is no different. For many companies the transition may not be easy or smooth, these are some of the challenges that can arise in teams when performing remote work tasks:
- Digital tools: despite the fact that there are currently multiple tools that facilitate coordination between various team cells, it will be highly dependent on the digital manager having the ability to order and guide all members of his team to use the tool correctly. This person must have a broad knowledge of this product and must also have the ability to facilitate its use by their team. Some very popular are Zoom, Slack, Google Meet, among others.
- Not everyone is ready: many workers may not be ready to face working from home, usually those who have demonstrated sufficient maturity or have demonstrated that they have been capable on previous occasions will be prepared to face the challenge, however, many others may. still require a little more attention to tasks and organization when delivering. Here it is necessary to go to consultants with experience in managing remote teams of human resources, such as Daniel Juárez from Interfell, or Danny Page from Distribute Consulting.
- Companionship matters: according to an INE study, one of the main difficulties that workers present when they do remote work is isolation, with almost 28% of people affected by this problem. Having team members always available to interact in person will make the job easier, communicating by video call will never be the same as sitting face to face with one another. In addition, promoting team meetings on a regular basis to generate empathy among the members is also a practice that experts recommend.
Source: https://blog.cake.hr/working-home-complete-guide-remote-work/
The successes of teleworking
The option of being a teleworker has never been more useful than in this time of the world. Thanks to technology, we have multiple options to make remote work an alternative. Successful companies define themselves as completely remote organizations, such as Zapier, Toptal, Gitlab, among others, with hundreds of workers. Thus it is demonstrated today that size is not a barrier to adopting telework.
Working remotely not only boosts productivity and improves employee comfort, it also helps to maintain a much more pleasant work environment and helps to reconcile family and work, either partially or permanently, it is a practice that little by little it has penetrated into Spanish society and it is here to stay.