Are You Making These 4 Remote Working Mistakes?

One attribute that distinguishes top-notch remote workers from the amateurs is their ability to manage work from home. You will observe this propensity from the world's best-in-class remote companies, including Apple, Lionbridge, and VIDKid.

Regardless of the nature and magnitude in which you are operating, be it a large-scale corporation or SME, there are some remote working casualties that business managers should avoid by taking precautionary measures. 

How to Get Started Working from Home

A proactive approach to managing remote teams is mandatory to get a favorable outcome. Especially amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, managers need to be extra cautious to provide people with relevant remote-working training and tools to collaborate. Working on a remote basis increases the risk of losing the SOPs of the business and that must not happen in any case. 

On the contrary, the remote worker's productivity needs to be measured from time to time to make calculated decisions. The drastic change in working patterns can cause serious motivation issues. Those who do not feel productive will not develop innovations and thereby remain stuck to conventional ideas. 

Some work-from-home practices can be altered immediately. Those concerning the security measures can cause severe damages. Thus, you need to ensure to look carefully at all aspects and guide remote workers accordingly to avoid any mishap. 

Based on my hands-on-expertise working remotely, here are 4 crucial mistakes you need to avoid to ensure your work contributes to increased business productivity.

1. Using Public Wi-Fi Network for Operating Business Platforms

Even if you are using your home network or the public Wi-Fi, the likelihood of getting hacked increases by a considerable rate. During Covid-19, cyber-attacks have been increasing exponentially.

Sure the norm of working-from-home seems a convenient option, but you have to be vigilant when it comes to security. Ensure you protect your multiple devices with a VPN to fortify all your data passes through encrypted tunnels. 

When you are using Zoom or any other collaboration app, your system data becomes 10x vulnerable to security breaches. The meetings you attend virtually can open a gateway for cybercriminals. They are using trackers that monitor your online activity, thereby causing you to lose your confidential information to 3rd parties. 

Hence, it has become necessary that all your working devices have a VPN installed on it so that your real IP remains safe from malware attacks. Please do not trust the public networks, as they act as a goldmine for hackers to give rise to an information breach.

Key Takeaway: Always encrypt your devices with a VPN connection to protect your online activities from ransomware. Never reveal your real IP address while you enter any necessary information on the websites. Reduce the risk of getting attacked by incorporating encrypted tunnels to protect your privacy.

2. Managing Remote Teams through Various Tools

Frequently, you will be asked to use different tools to converse with company stakeholders. That will lead to ambiguity among team members because not every person will be comfortable using diversified tools. 

Some of you will prefer to use Basecamp while others are good using Trello. Although there are no one-size-fits-all tools, you can still make people work under the same umbrella. Choose a platform where you can gather all your pool of resources. 

From a company point of view, using so many tools will result in a high operating cost, which is not productive at all. Therefore, select a project management tool that you think is compatible with your daily tasks and simultaneously fulfill your collaboration needs.

Key Takeaway: Be it Basecamp or Trello, you have to select one tool to manage your remote worker's day-to-day activities. So that everyone feels like they are working at the same pace and no will feel left behind. Using a single collaboration tool will also bridge the communication gap between virtual personnel and business stakeholders. 

3: Not Using Professional Attire - Working in Sweatpants!

Most of you wake up and start working in your sweatpants and do not bother wearing professional attire. This leads to loss in productivity, and you are not likely to feel like you're in a work mode. Eventually, this will make you feel dull and dreary throughout the day. 

Hence, it is essential that you start your working day wearing your professional attire and feel like you are in an office environment. Irrespective of the profession you are working for, you will feel motivated and tend to perform better when you wear clothes exhibiting symbolic expression, as stated by Northwestern University. 

Key Takeaway: Next time you start your day, make sure you are well-groomed and all set to kick-start your day with sheer enthusiasm. Wear proper office attire and make your workplace clean and organized. That will make you feel energetic, and you will be better performing your goals. 

4. Procrastination Station

If you are remotely working from home, you will be exposed to various things that could be a reason behind your distraction from work. It will be strenuous for you to maintain a work-life balance, but you can overcome this issue with a structured to-do-list. Always set boundaries for your work-related goals to make it more manageable for you to achieve the bottom line.

Remote working itself is a daunting errand because of handling multiple scenarios. To streamline the process, you can set SMART goals for yourself to ensure you leave no stone unturned in accomplishing your objectives. 

You have to monitor how much time you are spending on your phone or using the internet. That is another reason behind distraction from work, so you have to create rigid boundaries. Keep a practice of not using your cellphone unnecessarily amidst working hours. And even if you do, make sure you keep a track record of the time you have spent on it. 

Key Takeaway: To get rid of unwanted interruption while working, you have to set boundaries and a to-do-list that will keep you on track. Ensure you complete your set goals in the designated hours, as this will increase your productivity and help you keep yourself aligned with your goals. 

Remote working has its benefits if you do it constructively. You have to ensure you keep yourself away from the above remote-working mistakes, so that you and your organization can achieve milestones together.

Failing to achieve the desired outcome from remote working will lead to unwanted consequences. Therefore, it is better to avoid doing these things to ensure you work at an optimum level.