Working remotely in this modern world

Working Remotely: The Benefits and Opportunities

Working remotely is a phrase that people in this contemporary world frequently use. Globalization and the availability of the internet, which connects people from around the globe to employment opportunities, have made it possible. Working virtually has more advantages than disadvantages, in our opinion. As the world’s population grows and job chances become scarcer, remote work enables people to make a living from the convenience of their own homes. All people benefit from it, but I’d like to focus on a mother who has just given birth, weaker members of the community like the physically disabled, and elderly citizens. Dana in her article indicates that as of 2013, there were approximately 3 million people who were teleworking and the number has increased due to the benefits it offers (Dana, 2015).

Reducing Costs and Increasing Productivity

One of the benefits that teleworking offers are reducing the costs of traveling, real estate and other expenses for both the organization and the worker. Teleworking helps people to be more productive since there is little time wasted and resources such as the cost of traveling and renting a place for an organization. Though this practice works for different sectors while for some critical ones such as medicine and banking, it is not possible. Organizations have seen the benefits of teleworking, and some have chosen to embrace it primarily with reducing the costs associated with hiring contract laborer’s (Diane, 2002). Though there has been criticism on teleworking and one of the reasons given has been employees may not keen when teleworking with environment playing a pivotal role in the level of production (Sebastian, 2016).

Work-Life Balance and Government Benefits

The second benefit is that an individual will better balance their family and work life. Taking the instance of a mother who has given birth, teleworking offers her the advantage of working and taking care of the child. An individual can be able to work at any moment they feel comfortable provided they meet the set deadlines. It also benefits the government as when individuals can work remotely, they earn an income and reduce the dependence on government benefit programs. The outcomes for teleworking have been employee retention, increase organizational loyalty, improved productivity and job satisfaction (Diane, 2002). Though working from home requires a lot of discipline as there will be no one to check on you and there may be disturbance maybe from friends or neighbor.

Creating Job Opportunities and Economic Independence

Another benefit associated with teleworking is that it creates job opportunities and gives people the ability to be economically independent. Many opportunities have been created for the people and the revenue generated is used to improve the social and economic status of an individual and hence the society (Sebastian, 2016). More income can be earned when an individual does several jobs, and this is better as compared to a full-time employment since there is flexibility in this type of employment. It can also suit people from different backgrounds such as age or gender. The success that one can achieve in teleworking is highly dependent on the efforts they put in their jobs.

Conclusion: Embracing Remote Work

Remotely working is highly beneficial to both an individual and organizations. Some of the benefits it offers is reducing the costs regarding traveling and renting office spaces, enabling individuals to balance their work and family life better and providing people with job opportunities. It has been successful as the number of people who are teleworking has been increasing each day in many parts of the world. Discipline and a lot of efforts need to be employed by an individual for them to be successful in teleworking. There are challenges encountered by those teleworking, but through creating a good schedule, they can be able to avoid the obstacles. I would like in future to telework as I would want freedom and flexibility in what I do and have a chance to earn more money by doing more jobs through teleworking.

References

Dana Wilkie. (2015). How to Create an Effective Telecommuting Program. HR Magazine.

https://www.shrm.org/hr-today/news/hr-magazine/pages/0615-how-to-create-an-effective-telecommuting-program.aspx

Diane E. Bailey, Nancy B Kurland. (2002). “A review of telework research: findings, new

directions, and lessons for the study of modern work.” Journal of Organizational Behavior. pp. 383–400.

Sebastian K. Boell, Dubravka Cecez-Kecmanovic John Campbell. (2016). ”Telework paradoxes

and practices: the importance of the nature of work.” New Technology, Work and Employment. pp. 114-131.