Work at a distance: there is something to do!

To work not in the office, but at home or wherever you want – in a cafe, for example, or even on the beach … Someone dreams about it, but the management puts someone before the fact: now we will have it. Today, remote work is no longer a rarity. Every third company, according to the Superjob portal, has employees who work remotely. Most of all, they are in demand in areas such as sales, accounting and finance, personnel, design, marketing and advertising, engineering and IT, as well as where special education is not required, such as call centers.

We note another new trend – the home office mode, when an employee spends only part of the time in a team: a day or two a week. It would seem that this is convenient for everyone, but in reality everything is not so simple.

Freedom plus responsibility

To get rid of office slavery, reduce stress and fatigue, save travel time, make life more harmonious – isn’t it tempting? Nevertheless, many, discussing remote work on the forums, speak out against the free regime. “I relax very much when there is no leadership nearby”, “I couldn’t do it, my self-discipline is lame”, “I’ll dissolve without control,” users admit.

When we take on a task alone, we not only become freer, our responsibility increases, notes business consultant and coach Maria Makarushkina: “Maturity is required for such work. On the other hand, it also helps the employee to become more mature.” For many, the transition to remote work is an important step that changes established habits.

“A new life has begun for me,” says 48-year-old Mikhail, an IT specialist, enthusiastically. – From the age of 23, I sat in the office without unbending, two hours were spent on the road. Ever since I got the opportunity to work from home a year ago, I’ve been scheduling my own time. I get up an hour and a half later than the previous 25 years, I can go for a run in the afternoon or go to the gym.”

The desire to choose what to do and when to do it yourself is part of the general desire for independence that is characteristic of modern society. “Now for many, the topic of work-life balance, that is, the search for a balance between professional and personal life, is relevant,” notes Maria Makarushkina. “And remote work just makes it possible to manage your time, choose the optimal mode of work and rest, listen to your life rhythms.”

Remote work is often preferred by people over forty, “those who are tired of regular work for hire, of corporate wars,” Alena Vladimirskaya, head of the Pruffi recruiting agency, shares her observations.

Young people who dream of traveling around different countries and seeing the world are also striving to work “in freedom”. “But remote work is not very suitable for this,” notes Alena Vladimirskaya. “After all, you still have to work full time, so there is almost no time left to see a new country.” She advises those who like to travel after graduation to work as a freelancer for a year or two, and then return and go to work in the office, because only there they will get a career growth opportunity.

Away from the team

Half of those who tried to work remotely, after 2-3 years, still return to the office, notes Alena Vladimirskaya. One of the main reasons is that they lack the joys of collective life – rituals like joint dinners, tea parties, conversations in the smoking room, holidays, the opportunity to chat with interesting people who come to the office.

In addition, the work environment provides us with a resource for professional development, continues Maria Makarushkina: “We enrich our experience and grow by participating in common projects, watching how colleagues work. This does not happen at remote work, where communication and mutual assistance are reduced to a minimum.”

However, for introverts, this is a good option, the coach notes: remote work allows you not to build relationships, not to think about how to present yourself, how we look in the eyes of others. “The theme of the image is missing. There is no need to create your image, dress beautifully, spend time, effort and money on this.

You can sit all day in front of a computer in a bathrobe. Some people are attracted to it, while others are intimidated. “I myself didn’t notice how I stopped taking care of myself, I could work without washing my face, with a shaggy head,” admits 35-year-old Veronika, a designer. – There was no incentive to put myself in order, because I live alone. In the end, I made a strong-willed decision and now I go to have breakfast in a cafe opposite, willy-nilly I have to change clothes and make up. And the mood immediately changes.

Career in jeopardy

Most companies are still wary of remote work. They go for it rather involuntarily, explains Alena Vladimirskaya: for example, when there are not enough professionals in the industry, as in the field of IT and the Internet, if it is necessary to optimize costs or if the business requires a presence in another region, and it makes no sense to open a separate office.

At the same time, such an employee has practically no career prospects, says Maria Makarushkina: the authorities do not see him and cannot directly control his work. It would seem that there is no logic in this: after all, the main thing is whether the employee did the work on time and how well? After all, the office can be messy too.

“It’s about cultural stereotypes,” explains Maria Makarushkina. “We don’t have democratic traditions, and working relationships are no exception. In our culture, they are quite rigid, authoritarian, based on the constant control of the boss over employees. Western forms of work built on trust are still not taking root well.”

There is still some logic to this distrust. “In order to promote an employee, the boss needs to understand not only what kind of professional he is, but also what kind of person he is, what his style of work is, how he interacts with people, how reliable, decent he is, what his values ​​are. With remote communication, it is more difficult to understand, ”comments Maria Makarushkina.

“Yes, remote work is not suitable for those who are aimed at career growth,” agrees Alena Vladimirskaya. – There is, perhaps, one exception: high-level experts. They can dictate their terms to the leaders.” A survey of Russian company executives conducted by the Superjob portal confirms this: 77% believe that remote employees are less likely to be promoted.

Labor without borders

From the outside it seems that it is psychologically easier to work outside the office, in a comfortable home environment or in co-working without the “supervision” of the authorities. But in fact, for those who work in this mode, the working day seems to never end. Elena, 45, a legal consultant, admits that she has to check her mail not only during the day, but also in the evening. “Our offices are scattered all over the country, and they can write to me from anywhere, often demanding an urgent answer. Given the different time zones, it turns out that I can never relax and forget about work, ”she complains.

“Such an employee is expected to be always in touch,” confirms coach Sylvain Pascual, and suggests disconnecting and setting boundaries: “An employee in a remote job should not feel obligated to someone. Excessive involvement, a dimensionless working day in the long run is harmful both to health and to business.

Search for the optimal solution

Many employees would like to work remotely – all the time, several days a week or at least a couple of times a month. Sometimes it is necessary for family reasons. But few people dare to ask for it: what if they consider it a “freeloader”? Maria Makarushkina does not agree with this.

“We need to be able to defend our rights and interests, provided that we are confident in our abilities and are ready, to a greater extent than in the office, to take responsibility for the performance of work tasks. A good leader will rather prefer a motivated, energetic remote worker than a disgruntled, immersed in their own problems, but regularly serving time in the office. Managers should consider whether employees who work from home feel disadvantaged and marginalized.

The difficulties associated with remote work are surmountable. But so far they have slowed down its spread. And yet, Alena Vladimirskaya is convinced that the future belongs to her. “The current practice, when we choose the best only from those who work with us in the same city and can be physically present in the office, is flawed. It’s just that business has not yet developed tools for remote work. I think that in the next 10 years, 70% of employment will go to a remote form.” Can we prepare for this? In any case, it would be good to deduce for yourself the formula for the ideal organization of labor in advance. Well, almost perfect…