There's no doubt that current circumstances, like COVID-19, changed everything.
This sort of involuntary paradigm change affected all areas of daily life and workspaces were no exception.
Remote work has become the go-to working mode of the 21st century.
Yet, in software development and engineering, this kind of work arrangement has been adopted for a while now.
But why? Is it beneficial for IT workers and companies? Far from an easy topic, there are many edges to discuss.
Let's get deep into this article to explore it carefully!
What is Remote Work?
To summarize, remote work allows companies to offer alternatives for their members' physical location.
A key reason as to why more companies are leaning toward this approach is to seek work-life balance.
The idea behind work-life balance looks for equilibrium between career demands and personal life desires.
Yet, while it enclose out-of-office areas, remote work often function under company guidelines.
How Does Remote Work Function?
Remote work needs several edges to be successful.
First, it involves companies providing both a solid culture and equipment.
Likewise, remote work often includes a set of off-site rules to guarantee both individual performance and strong collaboration.
Yet, we must consider the different types of remote work.
What are the Types of Remote Work?
Freelancing Remote Work
This remote work type doesn't need a full-time contract with a company.
Often, freelancing contracts last until the end of a project, involving IT jobs like design or development.
In this scenario, tasks receive periodical management supervision to avoid surprises.
2. Gig Economy Remote Work
The main idea behind gig economy encloses sporadic and limited contracts.
In most contexts, it aims to find small-to-medium-sized contractors to perform specific tasks.
Within Software Development and Design, this includes platforms like Upwork and Fiverr.
The concept also includes independent contractors within big brands like Uber and Airbnb.
3. Remote Work By Contract
This kind of work refers to contract positions to complete established tasks.
Furthermore, there are three main types of works by contract:
- Work From Home. As the name suggests, people's work location is their own houses.
- Hybrid Work. Here, work is done both remote and in-office and virtual and physical instances are exchangable.
- Full-Remote. In this setting, there's no need for members to be at the office to work.
Most people tend to confuse the conditions implied through these alternatives, but they comprise different processes.
A key difference is that WFH can depend on government regulations. Workers outside of specific states or countries could face legal problems.
In contrast, in complete remote work, members can work from any part of the world regardless of location regulations.
The Challenges of Remote Work
There are some interesting challenges people don't usually consider when discussing remote work:
Work Environment on Remote Work
Creating a healthy work environment is often one of companies' most complex tasks.
But, beyond productivity, the challenge is in building relationships and culture as a company.
Companies must seek ways to integrate all members, regardless of physical location.
This comes relevant as several studies describe loneliness as a key con of remote work.
Fostering a solid culture of exchange and dialogue is key to achieve a comfortable work environment!
Cultural Differences on Remote Work
Another key edge to consider is the cultural differences team members may have.
This can be a challenge for leaders and managers if not familiar with the cultural diversity of their staff.
Edges like religious beliefs may become important when discussing scopes and timelines.
Creating more in-group activities helps members to get in touch with these cultures.
This approach can also guarantee everyone feels comfortable and safe.
Time Management on Remote Work
This working mode can bring some timing issues if workers don’t know how to manage their time.
Yes, WFH offers advantages on house chores, but it can be counterintuitive for work time management.
Another challenge is time-zone differences, which will need well-planned schedules not to disturb members.
Professional Growth on Remote Work
In recent years, growing professionally with remote work has become challenging.
Most workers consider they work and don’t feel they’re growing. But why is it happening?
The thing is that your presence becomes less visible and your actions more tangible.
Still, this doesn’t mean it’s impossible growing through a company.
Your activities can improve your position by showing your potential and accomplishing your tasks.
This is one of the misconceptions about growing: being face-to-face is optional to prove how valuable your work is!
Worthy companies will note your efforts regardless of face-to-face instances.
Remote Work in Software and IT
In this field, a question arises: Is remote work productive for development and engineering? The short answer is yes, but we'd like to explain why.
Remote work within IT didn't start COVID-19. What's more, neither did cross-country and multiple time-zone teams.
Yet, for those used to on-site work, it meant a challenge and brought some concerns. But IT teams found ways to improve productivity and (virtual) coexistence.
For instance, remote work provided a new approach to online learning.
Also, different companies began to search for ways to create a remote work culture.
With on-site work, it would have been harder to build social spaces across countries or time zones.
Yet, remote work also showed a productivity increment as employees felt the need to show their value.
While some companies had concerns about remote work and laziness, the opposite happened!
In fact, Buffer's survey showed that 25% of remote workers have trouble unplugging from work.
Even more, 20% said they were working more than on-site work times.
As a result, company loyalty became an invaluable asset.
Yet, this was not the case for all IT and Software-related leaders.
Some stood by their pre-learned methodologies and failed to recognize new realities.
A known case involved Ian Goodfellow, ex-director of Machine Learning at Apple.
He stated: "without the inclusivity that flexibility brings, many of us feel we have to choose between (…) our well-being or being a part of Apple."
The outcome occurred after the brand's CEO urged to install a three-day-at-the-office policy.
There's no doubt that remote work started unprecedented debates!
The Future of Remote Work
Many think COVID times have proven the value of non-on-site work approaches for the IT world.
Yet, companies' ability to provide comfortable work environments will still have a massive weight.
This approach includes a company culture despite time zones and a genuine belonging sentiment.
Likewise, companies are focusing on all edges that make work-life balance.
Consider that Business Insider states that the average American spends between 3K and 15K yearly on commuting costs!
In the short term, remote work will be at the top of the pyramid for a while.
A clear reason is a change on work condition demands in younger generations.
According to an Axios report, 84% of Millennials and 66% of GenZ take remote work as a critical edge.
Plus, academic research supports the idea that remote work will be around for a while.
The International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health also defends that remote work will be around.
The MDPI analyzed bank workers performing consulting tasks remotely and in person.
Results showed that remote workers experienced higher meaningfulness and commitment.
Also, the National Bureau of Economic Research conducted its specific investigation.
The result was a higher satisfaction among hybrid workers than in office-centric ones.
Only time can tell what will. Yet, there wouldn't be strategic to overlook these trends.
Conclusion
Remote work continues to shine and allows the software industry to explore talent's potential.
There is only one thing guaranteed: commitment and productivity are achievable despise location!
