Disadvantages Of Remote Working: Affecting Behaviors
Curious to know how remote working can impact behaviors? Read on to learn about the challenges and how to overcome them.
Dirty dishes crowding the sink, a colleague working without shoes on, are these gross behaviors some of the undesirable work habits taking place in post-pandemic workplaces?
While most people have been back at their desks for a while now, many have lost track of professional ethics.
It's unintentional. After many months of working at home, people are out of practice working around others. What felt like second nature has become an effort, thus included in the many disadvantages of remote working.
While some bad behaviors are minor enough to brush off, others could have great consequences that affect the collective morale and reputation of an organization. Employers must act quickly to nip unprofessional behaviors before they get out of hand and these disadvantages of remote working become a norm.
Why Has Remote Working Affected Our Behavior?
Workplace misconduct issues may have existed pre-covid, but now they feature much more on a company's radar.
Having remote worked for a while, many find the return of pre-pandemic office rules and etiquette challenging for various reasons - one of the most common disadvantages of remote working.
Some have adjusted so well to WFH arrangements that they find it difficult to be back in a professional working environment.
Although remote working made us nervous at the start of the pandemic, we quickly adopted flexible home-from-home routines that gave us autonomy at work.
Now that we're back to partially back at work, giving up some of the work freedoms we gained isn't easy. Even though the workplace is improving and changing, you'll still need to reign in behaviors that you consider perfectly acceptable in your home.
Others have been working alone for so long that socializing sparks anxiety, forgetting how to make small talk and connect and collaborate with others. Conversely, those desperate to reconnect with old work colleagues might ignore the rules of professional engagement, coming across as boisterous, unprofessional, and disturbing others - the most commonly seen disadvantages of remote working.
Has Zoom Failed To Prepare Us For In-Person Interaction?
During the pandemic, we could engage daily with everyone on our team despite being otherwise located on Zoom.
But while the video format helped us maintain - to an extent, working relationships virtually, corresponding through a screen doesn't compare to being co-located. Missing are the spontaneous corridor chats, the non-verbal signs and body language that translate poorly on video, and light-hearted conversations over coffee and Friday night outs. While seemingly unimportant or frivolous, they're fundamental to any organization.
Not seeing our colleagues regularly in person has left us rusty and clueless about the dos and don'ts of interacting and working around others are also common disadvantages of remote working. This might explain incidences and thoughtless behavior as we grow reacquainted with office work.
Have New Working Arrangements Affected Office Behaviour?
Employees aren't returning to the same office they left.
Before the pandemic, office rules and standards were clearly defined. However, with the onset of hybrid working models, we're not entirely sure what these norms are and if they've changed.
Before COVID, most of our tasks, from individual work to group activities and meetings, were done in the office.
With its purpose completely changing, office spaces have become social destinations where employees can meet up, collaborate and connect. Individual tasks that require focus and quiet are suitable in a remote work setting.
How do we avoid overstepping in a social hub if the interaction is strongly encouraged? Is it possible to differentiate between essential networking, productive pow-wows, and casual chats from loud and disruptive behaviors that annoy our coworkers and distract others? The problem with adjusting to hybrid working is that the rules aren't entirely figured out.
At the same time, committing to a hybrid format is hard because it means juggling remote working and office work. This could lead to confusion about how to act in different work situations. Going from a quiet remote setting to a noisy work environment or remembering what work you need to do can be mentally exhausting.
Are We Becoming Less Tolerant Employees?
Remote working was far from a failure, but it might have impacted us socially.
Returning to work and sharing space after having full control over our work environment might not be so easy.
From annoying coworkers to office disturbances and everything in between, you might find that you have less tolerance for things that you could previously ignore. This has become a very concerning disadvantage of remote working.
Is Workwear Being Redefined?
You're not alone if you've forgotten how to dress appropriately for a professional environment. We've traded formal work attire for loungewear or pajamas for months, pulling a smart shirt over our super casual outfits for Zoom calls.
Now that we're back, we're no longer sure what appropriate work attire looks like anymore. Wearing suits, ties, and pantsuits were already falling out of fashion before COVID, so it's more likely that workwear will be more comfortable in the future.
That's said, workout clothes, pajamas, or worse for wear house clothes will likely never be acceptable work garments.
Work uniforms might be more relaxed in the post-pandemic era, however, employees will adjust to something long absent from their morning routines: getting ready for work.
Rolling out of bed late, and wearing yesterday's clothing because you forgot that you're working from the office won't be habits viewed favorably by your boss.
How Do We Resolve These Behaviours?
Returning to the office won't be easygoing, especially for those who remain in remote work mode.
Employers should provide employees with adjustment periods, making early strides and getting ahead of problems by setting clear boundaries early. Don't assume that people know the appropriate standards of behavior. It might be obvious to some people, but information that new starters aren't aware of.
Also, remember that while adapting to new work situations isn't ideal, all of us were forced into working from home, and that wasn't the Herculean disaster we thought it would be. Humans can adapt; they just need time.
As we continue getting used to working hybrid, some disadvantages of remote working will naturally fall by the wayside. Others like working in a team and relearning the art of small talk, which will take time and practice but might eventually disappear into the ether.
Office Hub understands the importance of corporate culture and also acknowledges the disadvantages of remote working that are taking place. Office Hub is committing to deliver a physical space to remote workers according to their needs and requirements, meeting all the corporate standards and protocols. Get connected now!
