Busting the myths about working remotely

Netflix & chill

There’s a common misconception that working remotely is nothing but watching Netflix all day in your pajamas while sprinkling some work in when you feel like it. Now, those of us who work remotely will admit that there are some definite perks to working from home (for example, this article is being written from the comfort of my couch).

37 percent of people now work remotely, according to last years’s Gallup poll, and the number continues to rise. As working remotely grows in popularity, it is important to clear up any misconceptions about how the work is done.

Biggest misconceptions

Trello recently compiled a list of the ten biggest misconceptions regarding working remotely. You may be surprised to learn that work actually does get accomplished.

Many people think productivity will decrease when one has the luxury of working from home. While remote workers may not have someone breathing down their neck all day, urging them to finish their work, they are away from distractions like people walking into their cubicle and getting caught up in water cooler gossip.

Misconceive communication

With this, people assume that remote workers are out of contact. This is not true, as many remote workers are glued to their phones in case something pops up. But, don’t let trick you into thinking they work 24/7; there is still attention paid to work-life balance.

And, as far as communication is concerned, some think communication suffers due to lack of face-to-face opportunities. However, this allows you to cut out any chit chat and get down to business over the phone or through email. There is always the option of a video chat to help clear up any communicative confusion.

Work is still taken seriously

Meetings can also be conducted in this fashion, despite that fact that people assume they are ineffective. With differing time zones and schedules, the time set aside for virtual meetings is pretty valuable and is therefore treated as such.

There are many misconceptions about working remotely as it is still a fairy new method being adopted. However, there’s one misconception that must be cleared up – just because it’s done out of the office, doesn’t mean it’s done ineffectively.

#RemoteMythBusting