8 Common Remote Working Challenges (and How to Overcome Them)

Obstacles to productive and successful remote work teams can stem from either employees or organizations. In most cases, it takes comprehensive company-wide action to help workers successfully transition towards new work models.

Here are some of the biggest challenges hindering successful remote working, and what businesses can do to solve them:

1. Employee burnout

The traditional workspace has always offered a relatively clear separation between work and personal life. Once out the door, employees are generally on their “downtime”. Although there’s always the chance of after-hours communications from employers and colleagues, the line is pretty distinct.

Because remote workers are physically unseen, many feel the pressure to work longer hours. The distinction often flies out the door as workers try to be more responsive at all hours. The result is often a poorer quality of life, with many employees suffering burnout from stress or overwork.

Unhappy workers tend to leave in droves, and stress is a major contributing factor. Ensuring your employees get the personal time they need is an essential part of talent retention.

While the onus is certainly on employees to balance their time, companies can help by offering clear guidelines on expected results.

2. Threats to security and privacy

Studies have shown that the average cost of a data breach arising from remote work can hover well above the $100,000 mark. While that may hurt even a large business, this level of threat could deal smaller companies a fatal blow.

Security risks are plentiful, and even the most significant organizations can’t address them thoroughly. Regardless of your organization size or industry, you need to start with the basics and work your way forward.

For example:

• Comprehensive internet security applications safeguard remote workers against primary threats from viruses and other malware
• Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) encrypt communications from remote teams to company assets like mail servers
• Enforce the use of complex passwords for all web services
• Ensure that all remote worker assets are regularly updated to address potential security loopholes
• Offer firm guidelines on remote conferencing to address privacy and security issues
• Enforce the use of complex passwords for all web services

3. Environmental factors

Many articles online showcase fantastic remote work setups in perfect conditions and boasting the best equipment. However, not all employees are fortunate enough to be in those situations. Employees should be more keenly aware of this possibility and pre-empt the risk of poor conditions impacting the quality of remote work.

Imagine a remote worker struggling to tabulate thousands of results in a dataset on a decade-old personal computer sitting in the corner of a living room. It’s not ideal, but maybe the exact thing that’s preventing them from meeting deadlines.

By ensuring proper equipment for employees, you’re helping the entire team avoid performance mismatches. While you can’t resolve all issues in this area, some initiatives can help. For example:

• Offering allowances for non-traditional equipment like basic home-office furnishings
• Providing them with up-to-date core equipment and applications
• Consider data connectivity in specific remote work areas

4. Accurate performance tracking

Although it makes sense to use Key Performance Indicators (KPI) to track employee progress, many companies still rely on working hours as a sign of “presence”. Remote work disrupts this lax approach, and employers need to shift to more focused performance tracking metrics.

One way of doing this is leveraging productivity suits capable of measuring, analyzing and improving employee productivity. Applications and services such as Timely, ActivTrak and TIme Doctor offer these advantages to varying degrees.

You’ll need to be cautious about how you approach the issue, though. Remember that the idea is to monitor and work towards enhancing performance. Using these tools to ensure workers are “clocking in and working” is a poor reenactment of the “office presence” syndrome.

5. Engaging with remote workers

Although many workers prefer remote work for various reasons, it isn’t ideal for everyone. Human beings are social animals, and occasions like gathering around the water cooler help feed this need.

Remote work often means that staff usually end up isolated for extended periods without direct contact with co-workers. Such isolation can have a severe impact on their mental well-being. This possibility can result in various adverse effects you should work towards early mitigation.

Some ways of staying engaged with remote workers include;

• Using video conferencing services like Zoom
• Create virtual break rooms on platforms like Slack
• Provide a channel for employee feedback
• Consider some team-building exercises
• Gamification of office environments

The last point in the list above is somewhat more unusual but gaining popularity. You can apply it in various ways for different objectives. One idea is to recreate virtual offices, using employees as “players” in the game.

6. Keeping employees motivated

As much as many prefer the benefits of remote work, the lack of direct supervision can impact employee motivation. You need to quickly address the risk of a lower sense of urgency before entire teams fall apart.

Certain apps can force employees to stay focused on tasks. However, while these methods may fill a core need, they can quickly lower morale. Ideally, consider more constructive approaches to boosting morale.

One thing you can do is to look towards more strategic deadline construction. A mix of short and longer-term objectives can provide employees with clear, achievable directions without overwhelming them.

Other areas for consideration include employee recognition, visual scoreboards, incentives and, most importantly, trust. Show some faith in them, and don’t be afraid to experiment with new strategies occasionally.

7. Addressing “soft” technical problems

IT teams have been traditionally deployed in-office, even for small organizations. While a remote workforce may require different skill sets to manage, it isn’t overly difficult to overcome. A more significant challenge lies in less tech-literate employees facing difficulties with applications and services.

In a traditional office, workers could lean over and ask a neighbor for some advice. Remote workers are more limited in this area since assistance isn’t typically visual. That’s where IT teams need the ability to assist outside the scope of core technical problems.

To some extent, remote connectivity applications like TeamViewer or Remote Desktop can address these needs. However, this should be tempered with adequate training, guidelines, and hotline assistance if necessary.

8. Combating sedentary lifestyles

In the confines and isolation of home, many remote workers risk leading sentry lifestyles. While this may seem like a personal problem, it’s related to the new work dimension and can impact employee fitness (and hence, potential performance).

Aside from clearly communicating the need for regular breaks, employers should advocate regular exercise to maintain fitness. You can offer financial rewards for hitting fitness goals or even provide help equipment like sit-stand desks.

Keeping your workers fit can also lead to lower medical insurance premiums and contributes toward keeping morale high.

Final thoughts

The interests of remote workers and employers converge in many ways where such arrangements are involved. Keeping employees fit, engaged and happy will produce better results and potentially help make working from home even better than entire office-based teams. It can even allow you to widen talent nets, taking overseas employees on board.