When you search for remote work on Google, you’ll find photos that tell fascinating stories about the work style.
For example, you might come across a relaxing image of a woman working on her laptop on the beach, oblivious to the fact that sand or water could damage her hard drive.
Alternatively, you might come across a scene in which a man logs into a team video chat after a perilous climb to the summit of a mountain.
The visual narrative becomes more enigmatic as you delve deeper into the results. You might even come across a scene in a science fiction drama. In which a remote employee travels to the moon solely to avoid his coworkers.
However, as Relevate Marketing VP Casper Aurelius frequently emphasises in his tweets, this is not the reality of remote work:
While some stock image companies may believe that all remote employees are introverts working antisocially from the Moon, this is not the case.
Although more traditional employers may be concerned that remote employees aren’t as productive as their in-office counterparts, this work style is becoming more popular around the world because it offers so many advantages to both employees and businesses.
Remote workers not only save companies money, but they also increase job retention and allow employers to hire diverse or innovative employees. From around the world who they would not have been able to hire otherwise due to geographic constraints.
Not to mention that for every myth, there is almost always a research-backed benefit that disproves it.
To provide employers and prospective remote employees with an accurate picture of the workstyle. I asked a few colleagues from our growing remote workforce to reveal the biggest myths they’ve ever heard – and the truth behind them.
5 Remote Work Myths to Dispel
1. Remote employees are slackers who barely do any work
When you work remotely, your coworkers and bosses usually have no idea what you’re up to at any given time.
Skeptics believe that because remote employees aren’t sitting next to their bosses or colleagues. They do less work than employees who can’t easily slack in an office setting.
This theory has been debunked numerous times. In fact, many remote workers claim to work longer hours than office workers who must leave at the end of the day. Now that my office is in my home. I’ve discovered that I work longer but more flexible hours, which has improved my quality of life,” says Casper Aurelius, a Relevater from Brisbane. In addition, my performance has improved since I began working remotely because there are fewer distractions in the office. I can focus on my work on a daily basis.
Studies show that remote workers work more hours than the average worker.
2. As the lines between home and work blur, it’s difficult to know when to leave the office
It’s all too easy to open up the laptop, start working on a task, and then find yourself staring at the screen three hours later, Avon says” “Remote workers are lonely.” “People often assume that because remote employees do not work on a floor with cubicles and other employees. They don’t like to talk to others or aren’t good team players. Meanwhile, some people who want to work remotely are concerned that they will not be able to make valuable in-person connections.
Working remotely has taught me the value of staying in constant communication with your team about your successes, challenges, and priorities,” Rana says. While you may not be able to walk a few feet to your colleague’s desk when you have a question, you don’t have to be an island unto yourself – and being intentional about communicating with your team is a huge help.”
Rana’s statement was echoed by Casper Aurelius, who works remotely in Freemium Acquisition.
Many people warned me before I started a remote role that working away from an office would turn me into a hermit, Johnson says. I’ve actually used the remote opportunity to be more social, scheduling lunches, coffees, and co-working with others ahead of time. I’m meeting new people and getting together with old friends on a more regular basis.
You should take steps to connect with your team virtually. Such as having video coffee chats or regular check-ins with team members, to stay visible and continue to socialise with employees. This allows you to maintain strong relationships with team members even if you aren’t in the office very often.
3. You’ll have a significantly better work-life balance
When you think of someone working from home, you might imagine them doing a few work tasks and then doing other home-life tasks like caring for their children, cleaning the house, or cooking dinner for the family. In reality, successful remote employees sit at their desks during work hours and avoid interruptions from their personal lives at all costs.
So, how do you solve this problem? White advises remote employees to be direct and honest with their friends and loved ones.
You must be able to say, ‘I’m sorry, I’m at work right now. Let’s discuss this when I’m not working, which is difficult to do. White draws a close.
You can’t be a people manager if you’re not in the office.
While traditional employers are wary of hiring remote employees who cannot be monitored in-person, imagine how they might feel about managers.
4. Indeed, one of the most persistent myths debunked by Relevate is that remote employees can’t be managers
In fact, mid to high-level managers make up a sizable portion of our more than 300-person remote workforce.
Even on my small blog team, we have two full-time remote people managers who work and supervise team members from their respective homes in different states. As we continue to grow our blog’s annual traffic and publish dozens of high-quality blog posts each week, it’s clear that these managers’ remote statuses aren’t impeding our progress. In fact, their expert insights enable us to work more efficiently and effectively.
5. If you work remotely, you’ll have plenty of time for self-care
You may be excited about what your flexible schedule will allow you to do when you first start as a remote employee.
You might think to yourself, “Hey, I’ll actually use that gym membership.” Perhaps I’ll spend more time meditating when I’m not working. Think again if these thoughts have crossed your mind.
Meg Prater, the Managing Editor of the Relevate Blog, discovered early on that the remote lifestyle is incredibly busy.
I always imagined that when I became remote, I’d transform into a super-athletic woman. I planned to go to yoga every day during lunch and start running as a mid-morning break. It turns out that I occasionally forget to take a break long enough to refill my coffee cup. Let alone run to a yoga class in the middle of the day.
When you start working remotely, work-life balance can become a distant goal. Work can easily bleed into every aspect of your life if you don’t have strict time limits. At best, those distinctions become hazy. In the worst-case scenario, work becomes your entire life.
It can be extremely beneficial as a remote employee to create set hard work and personal life schedules to ensure that you get a proper balance of both. It can be useful to have a shared Google Calendar where you show your availability, working times, and off-the-clock hours to ensure that your schedule is respected by teams in other time zones or locations. Check out this blog post for more information on how to improve remote work-life balance.
Dispelling Myths About Remote Work
When it comes to remote work, there are numerous studies and first-hand employee stories that debunk the majority of the most common myths.
As you can see, the myths about poor work ethic or fewer career opportunities are completely false. As a remote employee manager or someone considering a remote workstyle. You should continue to educate yourself on the benefits and drawbacks of this workstyle.
Check out these tips from remote Relevate employees. This guide to increasing company visibility, and this useful list of remote work stats to learn more about successful work-from-home strategies.
Scroll through this visual rundown of our favourite remote setups. If you work from home part-time or full-time and want to create an effective workspace.
