Remote working is still arousing mixed emotions. Though its gaining popularity, especially in the West, it still has a considerable number of opponents. Some managers do not trust remote workers. It is understandable but everyone who decides to try it and starts employing remote workers almost never regrets it.
Objectively speaking, this model can significantly reduce operating costs and increase business potential without the need for an investment outlay. For small and medium-sized businesses hiring remote workers can make a huge difference.
The development of remote working requires a change of employers’ mentality, but as we already mentioned, this trend is constantly growing. The precarious economic situation of the World’s markets, stable technological capabilities and the growing awareness of entrepreneurs, and above all, hard calculation of financial gains, is constantly affecting the development of remote employment in the coming years.
See the statistics from our previous posts about the remote working! Why Do Employees Decide To Work Remotely? & How To Make First Steps Towards Remote Work?
Although it is much easier to find someone who works remotely and ask him or her a few questions, therefore obtaining the information concerning this type of work, there are still some common myths about it. Here are the eight examples of those:
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Working from home is less efficient.
That’s what employers fear the most. Some still believe that a remote worker will soldier all day long. However, many studies prove that working from home actually raises the effectiveness of employees’ work. According to this one, home working led to a 13% performance increase.
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Mostly women work remotely.
Because they are also able to take care of their home duties. Completely not true. Actually, 70% of remote workers are men.
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Freelancers work in their pajamas.
Sure, you don’t have to get into your suit to work at home, but studies conducted in 2011 showed that only 8% of freelancers work in their bath coat or other similar clothing. The rest wears casual clothing (not very formal, but still.) Working in pajamas does not go hand in hand with our productivity and makes us care less about our rig. Still, 35% of remote workers say that they friends are sure they work in their nightgowns!
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You won’t get a full-time job if you work from home.
A full-time job provides certain perks like, for example, a sense of stability that grows as we receive a regular remit. A common assumption is that it is very hard to work from home on a labor contract. There is a grain of truth in that because many freelancers work on self-employment but the so-called “home office” work, where people work from home at certain hours, having a regular working contract, is becoming very popular.
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At home, you always work part-time.
Many remote workers use it for their benefits – they work part-time and also look after their kids, and keep their household under control. However, most offers concerning working from home do not differ from regular job offers in terms of working hours.
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Everyone would like to work remotely
Actually, a lot of people claim that they would not be able to do so. Experiments prove it – a company gave its employees an opportunity to work remotely for a few months to see the results (and they were very promising!). When the experiment was finished, the employees were given a freedom of choice – they could come back to the office, or work at home. Almost half of them decided to come back to a regular office work.
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Remote work in a small company is practically impossible
Again, totally false. The owners of small and medium-sized companies are those, who employ remote workers most willingly. Ipsos Mori research revealed that 73% of small and middle company owners take hiring remote workers into consideration.
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Remote worker cannot be monitored
Sorry, no can do. There are literally hundreds of tools that help with managing a remote team – tracking time, computer activities, even doing screenshots. And, after all, your boss will check how you performed. So the work has to be done. You can be more comfortable at home, but not lazy!
Here are some examples of the software mentioned in Myth no.8
They can help not only those, who have to manage and monitor their team or keep company finances under control. These tools can also work regular workers, who want to have more clear vision over their work. Such software can also enhance one’s productivity and boost engagement and performance. No flows, only benefits. Here are the three very popular ones.
TimeCamp
One of the best work time tracking app on the market (or maybe the best? -.^) Keep your time under control and make sure that your tasks are always finished before the deadline. Oh, and much more!
TimeCamp stands out from the competition thanks to the:
- Wide range of platforms the tool is available for Desktop (Windows, Mac, and Linux), broader extension and mobile app available for iOS and Android to help users track their time regardless of location,
- The highest quality at best price,
- Automatic time tracking based on keywords which allows you to switch between tasks without any effort,
- The ability to set a time budget for each task to monitor team’s workflow,
- Billing customers accurately thanks to the project’s budget tracking,
- Turning time entries into invoices based on estimated hourly rates,
- Both direct and Zapier integrations which include project management and accounting tools like Asana, Podio, Trello, Basecamp integrations, Xero and many others.
You can compare TimeCamp with any time tracking software on the market, and you will notice that it wins on many levels. It is an advanced time-tracking app with plenty of other features like invoicing, reporting, or billing. It doesn’t matter if you are working as a freelancer or in a small, medium, or large company – TimeCamp is designed for every environment with its straightforward and easy to use interface. It can be implemented even in teams that have no previous experience with tracking time.
Looking for the best price time tracking? Check out TimeCamp!
Trello
Trello is an unusual tool for project management, as it can be used for dozens of different purposes – from making a shopping list, to managing a massive project. Trello provides a user with a board, where he or she is able to add tasks, move them freely, edit, add notifications or notes, attach files, and more. If you want to use it for more advanced activities, make sure to get familiarized with all its options. But it will also work great as a simple to-do list. Trello is available on mobile phones (both Android and iPhone) and can be integrated with lots of other time and work management tools, including TimeCamp.
More about the possibilities offered by Trello and TimeCamp integration you can read right here.
What is more, TimeCamp is a part of Trello Power-Ups, a new directory for Trello’s add-ons! Now you can turn your TimeCamp and Trello integration into a real productivity powerhouse.
Asana
Asana is based on simple functions:
- According to your needs, you can create projects and divide them into tasks.
- You can assign a person to each task – Asana also allows you to choose who will lead the project.
- You can divide tasks into subtasks and set their deadlines
- You can start conversations with people assigned to particular tasks. Attach files, add tags or assign tasks by colors.
- At particular tasks, you can mark people who work on them with symbols (f.e. hearts) which can also be used for communication
- You receive email notifications, whenever a task is assigned to you, or you receive a message on chat.
As a result, Asana does not oblige you to create the work system according to some particular assumption, but it adapts to your own assumptions. Like using colors? Use them, and the project board will be clearer for you. If you do not like to divide tasks into subtasks – you do not have to, if, for you, it is a waste of time. Tag the tasks to streamline the working process.
More about Asana you will find in our article, describing every single detail of this software.
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