Does Remote Working Have a Positive or Negative Effect?

Today, in popular business culture the world seems to be getting more remote - meaning, a lot more people are choosing to work remotely, often from home though sometimes as part of a “freedom lifestyle” where they travel the world whilst still working a fulltime job in their home country.

There’s much hype about the benefits of remote working, yet it’s not all sunshine and rainbows.  Yes, there are time saving benefits such as reducing the commute time by exchanging the rush hour traffic or commuter train for a gentle stroll into one’s home office… yet, there are factors such as social isolation to consider, and even physical aspects such as repetitive strain injury.

See, most companies have large budgets and even larger procedures in place to mitigate the risks of desk based working, for instance, they will use apex commercial furniture to provide a safe working environment for their staff, whereas, at home, your office furniture is not subject to the same scrutiny and could be causing you biomechanical harm.

The other aspect to consider is that of social isolation in the sense that for many people, work is a social outlet, and even though it might just be idle gossip and chit-chat, there’s something emotionally cathartic about such interactions… whereas, a person working remotely, particularly from home, can feel isolated and detached from the ‘outside world’ - particularly if their job doesn’t involve much interactive contact on a daily basis; for instance, a writer or programmer.

The challenge, in this sense, is that for some people the “remoteness” of the remote working lifestyle makes them feel cut off and as though they are living an insular life where they are not connected with others.

The main challenge however, is that the trend in remote working is often fuelled by the trend of people working on a freelance basis where the concept of a “job for life” being somewhat archaic.

Furthermore, people are no longer competing within the local geographical job market; as the internet has opened the doors to a global labour market, some countries of which have much lower costs of living - meaning candidates can charge much less per hour than those from more expensive countries.

However, with these negatives in mind, it’s pretty clear why so many people are migrating to a more flexible way of working, exchanging their cramped cubicles and business attire for the comfort of their own home, or the restrictive working hours to a more flexible model that allows them to travel the world, or just be there when the kids get home from school.

That said, with so many compelling reasons to embrace the remote working lifestyle -- such as more time freedom, less commuting time which not only saves time, but also money… and the emotional freedom of not being chained to a rigid office based scheduled, it’s often the case that the rewards outweigh the potential struggles, and therefore, maybe now is the perfect time to join in the remote working revolution and see for yourself where it has a positive or negative affect on your own life.