An increasing number of people are now realizing that
working away from office is not a luxury or a rarity any more. This is evident
from the latest findings of the ‘Work Without Walls’ study conducted by
Microsoft. These findings show that giving employees the ability to work
outside an office is no longer a luxury reserved for the elite, but a
requirement for doing smart business.
Here are some of
findings of Microsoft’s study:
Approximately 56 percent of IT employees working in small to
medium sized companies that were surveyed said that their company does not have
a formal policy in place for remote working. On the other hand, around 39
percent of employees said that their company had a policy in place.
Around 36 percent of IT workers feel that their peers are
supportive toward working away from office. However, only approximately 31
percent think their bosses share this support. Additionally, around 30 percent
of employees feel that their superiors are not doing anything toward supporting
remote working.
The above situation may explain why a lot of employees work
remotely only on a few days. Many information workers feel that they should get
to work 8 days remotely in a month. However, employees only average 3.2 days in
a month.
The biggest reason why employees want to work remotely is
that they want to avoid the time and effort of commuting. Around 25 percent of
employees agree to this reason. The next big reason, with 16 percent employees
stating it, is that remote working helps achieve a better work-life balance.
The third best reason with 14 percent of employees behind is that it improves
their productivity. Another 14 percent want remote conferencing because it
allows them to finish work that they cannot complete in office.
Problems related to
remote working
There are still a number of issues that make it difficult
for small business information workers to work remotely. 21 percent of
employees have reported problems in collaborating with other colleagues quickly
and effectively. On the other hand, 18 percent of employees have reportedly
experienced problems while accessing necessary business files. The biggest
problem faced by information workers (reported by around 40 percent of them) is
that they are unable to make calls from their computers. All these problems can
be solved with the addition of a reliable web conferencing solution like the
one provided by RHUB.
Other disadvantages
of remote working
Other top problems faced by information employees while
remote working included the following:
Inability to see and speak to people face to face- reported
by 42 percent of employees
No quick response- reported by 33 percent
Co-workers lack accountability- reported by 20 percent
These results show a clear picture- while there are still
some issues faced by employees, a lot of the old complaints they had about
remote working are no longer present. Employees have not reported problems in
accessing business files outside office. Moreover, a lot of people have begun
to accept remote workers as an equally responsible and accessible part of the
work force as their office-going peers.
The biggest obstacle
for companies not yet in tune with remote work support
After looking at the result of this study, the biggest
obstacle faced by companies not supporting remote
connection is their own perception. The lack of support from superiors and
company heads for working away from office is primarily because of outdated
beliefs on how to run the business. The biggest complaint by employees given
can easily be rectified with a good video conferencing solution like the RHUB
6-in-1 web conferencing and remote support appliance.
Remote work offers employees and businesses a lot of
positive opportunities, but they are not without risks. The biggest risk is
that of information security. However, security concerns can be dispelled if
you use the right web conferencing solution, such as the RHUB 6-in-1 web
conferencing and remote support
appliance.
If you decide to adopt remote access
server for your company, make sure you select RHUB remote support appliance or other
secure vendors to eliminate the possibility of security breaches when your team
works away from the office.
No comments:
Post a Comment