Reflection on Remote Working Issues

Introduction

As mentioned in the last assignment, remote working is a working style in which a company or organization allows some workers to work from home. Working from home is a broad term that refers to employees’ capacity to carry out their responsibilities from several locations such as libraries, shared workspaces, and even their homes. Although specific study reports claim that telecommunication occurred before the COVID-19 epidemic, the practice gained traction in 2020 and 2021. This is because several governments worldwide issued orders to cut the number of physical employees in half to comply with the social distancing guideline. Previous assignments have demonstrated that remote work has benefits and problems perceived by businesses and individuals. For example, during the COVID-19 strike, enterprises and workers that agreed to adopt remote working were less affected in terms of productivity by the epidemic that terrorized many organizations.

Purpose of this Paper

Previous investigations have revealed several social and professional issues that develop as a result of telecommuting. Furthermore, the benefits and drawbacks of remote working for individuals and enterprises are evident now. Telecommuting is becoming more popular due to the COVID-19 strike’s lessons. Many organizations and businesses had difficulty connecting with their human resources during this time because they were compelled to obey government guidelines to combat coronavirus. According to Billingsley (276), the social concerns cited by remote employees were loss of connection, social isolation, and job disruption when responding to their obligations from home.

Furthermore, according to recent research, remote working risked employee progress since they were less likely to be promoted than other employees who could serve at the organization’s headquarters. As a result, this study aims to explore previously recognized social and professional concerns and administrative challenges associated with remote working while devising solutions to overcome them. This paper will also include HR monitoring of telecommuting initiatives in a firm for higher performance.

Addressing Remote Working Issues

Lack of social connection with coworkers was highlighted as a social concern affecting remote personnel in past assignments. According to Billingsley (277), this is a critical issue since worker contact promotes positive work energy in which company employees assist one another in times of need. This is not achievable with remote working since only the manager or supervisor knows when a specific remote employee is experiencing problems and hence unable to produce. As a result, firms that use a remote working style must plan programs that allow employees to attend in-office services for all employees, addressing the loss of social connection. Organizations that use this application should plan at least two in-office tasks for their employees every month to allow them to engage with their coworkers.

Home disturbance and distraction are other social concerns related to remote working. Working from home raises concerns since employees may opt to join meetings from home. This is tough since they have several activities competing for their attention (Petrila et al. 77). As a result, many remote workers must balance their personal and professional life. Therefore, organizations should put aside funds to purchase various offices for their employees to reduce remote working disruptions at home. A recent study has shown stress and anxiety as societal concerns among employees. Fan, and Moen (171) discovered that remote employees spend more than eight conventional working hours each day, so tiredness sets in, leaving them tired and weary, which is terrible for their health. As a result, organizations embracing telecommuting must implement methods that eliminate all programs that allow telecommuting to improve remote workers’ health.

Another issue addressed concerning remote working is career advancement. Approximately half of the employees believe that working remotely gives fewer opportunities for talent development than working in an office. As a result, firms that adopt a hybrid working model must treat all employees equitably and follow their abilities. Promotions and employee incentives must be rigorously scrutinized, and all remote and in-office workers must be treated equally. Work delivery and core competencies should be the criterion (Judge, and Robbins 244). As a result, remote employees deserve a chance to advance in their careers.

Telecommuting raises administrative concerns, and managers struggle to supervise remote employees. Mintz-Binder and Allen (156) provide information on the managerial issues faced during the COVID-19 outbreak. Many supervisors and managers expressed difficulty reaching out to faraway workers to assess their development during this period. Mat et al. (13) also noted that managers must set clear expectations for remote employees. This was due to a lack of communication and contact because the staff worked from home. Organizations must conduct regular video conversations with their remote staff to ensure they are performing as intended. Furthermore, a joint zoom meeting with stakeholders may be planned to handle emergency concerns that require the attention of all workers.

HR Oversight of the Remote Working Plan

According to HR standards, before establishing human resource management programs, several criteria must be assessed to ensure that a company’s human workforce is successfully utilized for the firm’s benefit. Implementing employee telecommuting requires assessing eligibility and the benefit that remote working would give an organization. According to Elihami (985), businesses should analyze their operation model and vividly identify jobs remote workers can successfully handle inside the organization. Furthermore, organizations must notify their employees in their work policies whether they enable remote working or allow employees to work when it is convenient for them. Concerns about program responsiveness are raised by organizations while introducing new methodologies. Productivity measurement is a critical necessity in remote working deployment since it demonstrates how busy each remote worker is.

Program execution necessitates the provision of specialized equipment by the organization to be successful. Organizations must understand and assess the tools regarding cost and overall contribution to the projected program. Computers and internet services are examples of this. According to Elihami (985), tech assistance is a critical component of every organization that deals with technology challenges. According to recent studies on tech support, many firms have on-site teaching teams, but very little is done to give these teams to remote workers.

Furthermore, firms must clarify to their workers that working remotely does not terminate their contract with the company but allows them to work from home. Employees may hesitate to accept remote work because they fear losing their job if they accept remote work without a clear description of the contract agreement. Communication is also required between corporations and their remote employees. This is true since telecommuting permits workers to work away from the central administration offices, and regular contact is the only method to keep the two in touch. Managers and supervisors hear from their distant workers and communicate with them about critical organizational issues via communication.

HR Additional Steps for Telecommuting Success

Transitioning to remote working is not a quick process that can be completed in a single day. Perhaps a month of planning and appraising the value of the proposed program to the company is required. For example, in partnership with an organization’s tech support, HR managers must organize adequate tech training for workers to familiarize them with the system they are about to engage in (Armstrong, and Landers 167). Furthermore, while recruiting people for a firm, human resource management need an appropriate component. They must recruit and retain all-around personnel who offer value to the firm. Flexible and computer-savvy people who require minimal training programs to fit into the organization’s plans are some of the qualities and competencies they should recruit. As a result, human resource management plays a crucial role in commencing program execution by selecting people for the firm.

Conclusion

Throughout this assignment, the main issue has been discussed in the history of telecommuting. It has been said that although remote working existed before COVID-19, its adoption by many organizations in today’s business world occurred in 2020 and 2021. This is because the pandemic hampered the regular operations of the organizations, which their respective governments ordered to reduce their personnel to battle the spread of COVID-19. The key concerns raised in this reflection essay are the social and professional challenges that workers face due to remote working. This essay also addressed the administrative challenges associated with implementing remote working in enterprises. This document also includes alternative techniques that a firm or organization might take to tackle social, professional and management difficulties. The report finishes by examining HR oversight and recommended procedures for successful telecommuting deployment in enterprises.

Works Cited

Armstrong, Michael B., and Richard N. Landers. “Gamification of Employee Training and Development”. International Journal of Training and Development, vol 22, no. 2, 2018, pp. 162-169. Wiley.

Billingsley, Luanne. “Using Video Conferencing Applications to Share the Death Experience During The COVID-19 Pandemic”. Journal of Radiology Nursing, vol 39, no. 4, 2020, pp. 275-277. Elsevier BV.

Elihami, Elihami. “Relationship Between Nonformal Education and Islamic Education in The Context of 2045 Agenda Towards Education 4.0 And Society 5.0: Bibliometric Analysis”. Aksara: Jurnal Ilmu Pendidikan Nonformal, vol 8, no. 2, 2022, p. 985. Universitas Negeri Gorontalo.

Fan, Wen, and Phyllis Moen. “Working More, Less or The Same During COVID-19? A Mixed Method, Intersectional Analysis of Remote Workers”. Work and Occupations, vol 49, no. 2, 2021, pp. 143-186. SAGE Publications.

Judge, Timothy A, and Stephen Robbins. Organizational Behavior. 17th ed., Pearson Education, 2017, p. 244.

Ma, Guoxin et al. “Telecommuting Adaptation in Malaysia: Demographics, Beliefs and Practices”. Asian Social Science and Humanities Research Journal (ASHREJ), vol 1, no. 1, 2019, pp. 11-18. UCYP Press, University College of Yayasan Pahang. Web.

Mintz-Binder, Ronda, and Patricia Allen. “Exploring The Perspectives of Telecommuting Nursing Faculty”. Journal of Nursing Education, vol 58, no. 3, 2019, pp. 152-159. SLACK, Inc.

Petrila, LaurenČ›iu et al. “Effective Teaching During The COVID-19 Pandemic? Distance Learning and Sustainable Communication in Romania”. Sustainability, vol 14, no. 12, 2022, p. 72-89. MDPI AG.

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