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We help businesses across Orlando, Tampa, and Lakeland-Winter Haven get expert managed IT services with security built in, from a team that knows you by name.
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Gone are the days where employees were glued to their desk in a corporate office for eight hours a day, five days a week. The new norm in our modern, digitally-driven workforce is remote work!
In fact, a recent study found that 70% of professionals work remotely at least one day a week, and 53% do so for at least half of the week. But working remote isn't just a trendy fad—it's here to stay.
With 99% of respondents in a Buffer study saying they would like to work remotely at least some of the time for the rest of their careers, it's clear professionals are realizing the benefits of remote work and don't want to go back to their cubicles anytime soon.
To be even more productive, engaged, and satisfied with this style of work, we've compiled a few tips and best practices for remote working. We didn't forget about you, managers—keep reading for training tips for remote employees too!
Working remote allows employees to do their job from outside of the traditional office setting. This working style is based on the idea that work no longer needs to be done in any specific place to be completed successfully thanks to modern tools and technologies.
Remote work enables professionals to work in an environment that makes them the most comfortable, on the timeframe that is best suited to their lifestyle. This offers nearly unmatched flexibility.
There are numerous ways that people can work remotely. That's the main draw of remote work: it allows you to work in whatever way best fits into your everyday life. While remote workers who have their own business or freelance typically have the complete freedom to create their own schedule, those employed by an organization will likely have to follow the remote work policy laid out by leadership.
For example, some companies allow their employees to work remotely full time. Others give them one work from home day per week or month. Some let their employees work remotely for the majority of the week, but require them to come into the office once a week for all their in-person meetings.
No matter how often you can work remotely, there are nearly endless options of where to do so. Here are two main categories of remote work:
When working remotely, many employees will choose to stay at home, which has its fair share of perks. You can work in sweatpants on the couch, in bed, or whatever makes you feel comfortable and productive. Most professionals also have reliable Wi-Fi in their home, which eliminates the need to find a secure public network. Working from home also eliminates the need to lug your computer, charger, and any other work materials around town. You could even cook a fresh meal at home rather than having to bring leftovers to the office or spend money on eating out. Perhaps the biggest perk of working from home is that it requires zero commute, which saves time and gas money while also minimizing your environmental impact.
The main negative of working from home is that it can potentially lead to a lot of distractions: the TV, loud neighbors, or a needy pet are a few examples. However, as long as you're focused and following a schedule, you should be able to reap the benefits of working from home while also being highly productive.
Many companies have referred to their remote work policies with the term "Work from Anywhere." This might mean working from a coffee shop or cafe, coworking space, community room in an apartment building, hotel, airport, etc.
Working from anywhere gives employees nearly endless flexibility. You could choose to work in a coffee shop because you like background noise, or opt for a silent library on a day you really need to focus. It also gives you the ability to take work on-the-go while traveling for either business or pleasure.
However, remote work from anywhere can present a few challenges and risks because you'll need access to Wi-Fi, and not every place has it. Connecting to unsecure public Wi-Fi networks can create risks for data breaches or "man-in-the-middle" cyber attacks. However, you can skip the need for an internet connection altogether and stay more secure while working remotely by using a personal password-protected hotspot or an LTE device, such as a Microsoft Surface with LTE. Just keep in mind that hotspots could result in higher data usage and costs, and LTE devices are more expensive than regular ones.
There are numerous tips for working remotely that can help you maximize productivity, engagement, and satisfaction. Here are three simple-to-follow best practices for remote workers!
Training remote employees can present unique challenges for managers, but it's certainly not impossible. Here are a few training tips for remote employees that can help businesses get the highest ROI on labor costs from their remote workers.
Remote work is the future of the workforce, and if you're a business owner or manager, offering the remote work policies that modern professionals are looking for can help you attract and retain top talent.
Protected Trust can help by providing your organization with the Microsoft tools that enable your remote employees to achieve their greatest potential from anywhere on the planet, such as Teams, Office 365, and Surface devices.
Interested in transforming communication, security, and mobility in your remote workforce? Reach out to a PT expert today.
We help businesses across Orlando, Tampa, and Lakeland-Winter Haven get expert managed IT services with security built in, from a team that knows you by name.