Looking at current job trends, it has become clear that more and more people are trying to find work from home. The recent pandemic made many workers realize that there are quite a few benefits of doing the job remotely, so it makes sense that we see a shift in remote work becoming more common.
Now, when you are working from home, you do not have the luxury of dedicated IT support. Sure, in the case of your internet troubles, you can often solve that with the help of your ISP.
With that said, it does not mean that the arrangements of working from home are all positive experiences. There are plenty of issues that remote workers might run into. And in some cases, overcoming these issues can be quite difficult.
Noisy Neighbors
If you live in a house in a remote area, you do not really need to worry about annoying neighbors. However, not everyone has a house. Many people live in apartments, which means having neighbors closer than one might like. It is all well and good if you have understandable neighbors. But what if they are noisy and you cannot focus on your work because of all the ruckus? Talking to them might not always be enough to solve the problem either, and if you cannot come up with a solution, your frustration is only going to grow as time passes.
Technical Issues
Back in the office, you probably had a dedicated IT guy or even an entire department. Technical issues related to the internet or computer would be in the hands of others. Even if you had to wait for a bit, the problem would usually be solved eventually. Now, when you are working from home, you do not have the luxury of dedicated IT support. Sure, in the case of your internet troubles, you can often solve that with the help of your ISP.
Communication problems are not something that often comes to mind when talking about remote work. However, they should not be underestimated, given how important communication in the work environment is as a whole.
Computer issues, meanwhile, will require more effort. Taking the device to a computer service store seems like the obvious option, particularly if something is not working and you cannot solve yourself. On the other hand, quite a few computer issues are manageable without help from others. You can do a quick search on the internet and find clear instructions. It is just that it takes time and effort to manage these things on your own, which is pretty annoying.
Communication Problems
Communication problems are not something that often comes to mind when talking about remote work. However, they should not be underestimated, given how important communication in the work environment is as a whole. It is one thing when you get to talk to your clients, colleagues, and supervisors in person and another when you need to submit emails or texts.
Sure, video calls are a decent alternative, but you still cannot reach the same level of closeness. When you are not communicating in person, it is easy to miss things that are said non-verbally (think body language). In addition, it is easier to confirm whether a person listening to you gets the message when you are face to face. Meanwhile, sending an email and getting a response does not bring that much confidence, to say the least. Sure, you will send follow-ups and provide as many instructions as possible, especially if the conversation is important. But even then, there are no guarantees that you can avoid certain mistakes. And there are plenty of instances when one small misstep can snowball out of control and cause a lot of trouble.
Lack of Motivation
Lacking motivation is another example of an issue that you can expect to encounter while working from home. That is not to say that doing your job in an office did not come with periods where you had no desire to do your work. Overall, though, it is much easier to work when you are surrounded by other people carrying out their tasks. Not to mention supervision who probably keeps a close eye on you. Of course, doing work from home does not mean that you can simply avoid your duties. The supervision is still there in some capacity, even if it is not in person.
There is one BUT, however. You are at home, a place many associate with leisure, so it is natural that there is less motivation to work. Add the fact that you can get easily distracted because there are plenty of things you can do at home that you cannot do in an office. And we are not talking just about entertainment. Sometimes, you might be more keen to do house chores than your day job. Different things work for different people when it comes to motivation. Some need an approaching deadline to finally get out of the slump. Others react to rewards if there is one waiting at the end of the day. And then there are those who need to get a certain amount of sleep to feel fresh and ready to work. You need to figure out the causes that prevent you from feeling motivated at work and try to find solutions.
