6 cons of remote working for employers and employees

With a growing number of people working remotely these days, it’s surely going to become the norm, right?

Unfortunately, it’s not possible to work remotely for any organisation you want. While the majority of businesses are open to the idea of their employees working from home, their major concern is performance—and rightly so.

People that work remotely are able to experience the utmost freedom that’s on offer, but there are also the downsides of accountability, autonomy, and the impacts on their mental health as, generally, workers move from communal office spaces to an arrangement that allows them to manage their time, albeit waking up 15 minutes before the beginning of their work day or spending an extra half an hour on lunch.

We’ve previously spoken about the benefits to both employers and employees when it comes to this type of work arrangement, but there are also some causes for concern that everyone must address before they leap into the most flexible kind of employment.

The remote-working cons for employees

For employees, the key concerns should be these: feelings of isolation, physical distance from their teams, and the need to self-motivate.

Isolation is not for the faint-hearted

This is a common problem, not just among remote working professionals but in the population as a whole. In 2022, around 50% of the UK’s population felt a sense of loneliness at some stage.

While this can be considered part of a natural epidemic as a result of COVID-19, working in the digital environment—and even over-reliance on social media to connect—is making people feel more lonely than ever before. Now, in my experience, working from home can be an escape from the busyness of the office in order to get work done, but that’s not to say that remote working is the best option for someone who requires continuous interaction with others.

The truth is that such problems could be a result of the company culture. If an employee feels the need to escape the camaraderie (or lack of) to get their work done, it’s likely that their employer expects a relentless output or is unaware of the needs of their staff.

The feeling of isolation doesn’t necessarily attribute to an individual's response, but more so the performance requirements they contend with.

Employees must be self-motivated

Often referred to on job postings as ‘autonomy’, those who opt for remote working must possess this key trait. Self-motivation is the key to getting work done when you really don’t want to and is somewhat of an entrepreneurial trait that a lot of remote individuals have.

Of course, self-motivation is key in any role, but in an office environment, one naturally feeds off the energy of others who are consistent in their approach to work, and are able to get their heads down. More importantly, the boss is usually around the corner.

Not everyone can be autonomous, especially when nobody is looking over their shoulder. Those that struggle to motivate themselves may be susceptible to other feelings of anxiousness as they expect that, any minute now, a message will appear or a call will be added to their diary.

Communication with teams requires planning

Perhaps one of the most challenging areas is non-immediate access to the team, which can be difficult for both employees and their bosses or line managers.

With teams spread across countries—sometimes the global—it’s increasingly difficult to ensure they can all be together at the same time (virtually) for meetings, but can also throw barriers in the way of completing work. It’s very easy to become impatient when the workload is high and every member of staff is at their fingertips, but not everyone can be available 24/7.

This requires a level of patience and also hinges on a person’s ability to plan ahead and factor in the time it takes to gain the attention of their employees.

The cons for employers of remote workers

While it may seem like employers are coming around to the idea of remote working, there are still some cons to the idea and many organisations are still unsure whether this would be suitable for them. When they’re concerned with productivity and team camaraderie, office-based working could be the most suitable option. Not only will this allow their teams to connect more, but also keeps them motivated.

Work-life balance can end in distraction

As mentioned above, there are a multitude of distractions in the modern office environment, but there can also be distractions at home. Employees with families have the freedom to manage their own work-life balance, but there is no guarantee that flexibility could cause them to slow down.

Instead of work getting in the way of life, employers may be concerned about the reverse of this as workers gain the flexibility to deal with life admin as they see fit. This could potentially reduce productivity if not managed currently, which is where employers must come up with solutions for managing their time, but at the same time exercise a higher level of trust.

Difficult to build a workplace community

Although it may seem like businesses are thriving, many of them struggle to contend with employees’ desires to work independently. Also, the lack of jobs in certain areas, generally rural places, is influenced by the needs of young people in the workforce—many of whom want to work in bustling cities where amenities and communities are much more accessible.

The challenge comes when employers look to get more people working in their offices, especially when they understand the financial and freedom benefits of working from home, and the job opportunities available to them when they search for them abroad.

There are also trends that impact how people consume these days that determine whether they want to socialise within an organisation. I often think about what the average work party or ‘team bonding session looks like’ and, nine times out of 10, this revolves around drinking. The up and coming Gen Z population are, on average, drinking less alcohol year-on-year, making it more difficult to win their attention with a stocked beer fridge.

Employers may have to get creative with how they connect with their staff if they want to build a company culture that makes them proud to lead everyday—not to mention encourage their employees to commit to their work for the business as well as themselves.

Less reliability or accountability within teams

Accountability is key for a number of reasons. The first assumed link to business is ensuring that employees get their work done. Historically, companies have been preoccupied with their employees’ workload (for good reason), which generally creates negative connotations of the word.

A real, productive, enriching way to look at accountability is the sense of support given to a person or team. There is an element of performance measurement to this, but for the purpose of understanding the needs of employees and how to get the most out of them at work—not to burn them out, rather understand their capacity for training and development to become better or more efficient at their jobs.

Remote working makes these last two points so difficult for employees is that their distance from the organisation makes them less accessible. The natural response to added communication barriers is to bring staff closer together on a daily basis with disregard for their preferred—and proven—ways of working.

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