Remote work has many benefits. But, remote work isn’t for everyone. There are several valid reasons remote work might not be the right choice for an individual or organization. In this article, we discuss five pitfalls that come along with the remote work business model. 

Distractions

From the family pet begging for pats to sharing a workspace with your kids, remote work comes with many distractions. 

A recent Statista report uncovered that over half (53.7 percent) of remote workers said their smartphones affected their productivity while working remotely. And remote workers are citing a decrease in life satisfaction, more reliance on mobile devices, more extended hours than at the office, and fewer perks. There’s no question, those who work outside the office have a lot of distractions to overcome. 

Increased Meetings

Did you know that remote working increases the amount of time we spend in meetings? According to a Reclaim.ai report, workers now spend 25.3% more time in meetings than pre-pandemic.

With an increase in meetings, remote employees complain of Zoom Burnout. According to a recent Stanford University study, this type of remote workplace burnout is especially concerning for women who report higher levels of fatigue associated with video calls than men.

An increase in the number of meetings on your calendar leads to longer hours. According to one study:

• Nearly 70% of professionals who transitioned to remote work because of the pandemic say they now work on the weekends.

• 45% of professionals say they regularly work more hours during the week than they did before.

• Working parents were more likely to work weekends and more than eight hours per day than those without children.

• Men are more likely than women to report working on weekends and putting in 40-plus hour workweeks.

Communication Gaps

There are significant barriers to effective communication within remote teams. Remote work communication challenges include:

• Lagging internet

• Connectivity issues

• Influx of alerts and notifications

• Multi-tasking

• Distractions

• Limited face-to-face interactions

Communication blockers take a serious toll on teams and disrupt workflows. Remote teams need to work hard to establish and maintain effective written and verbal communication skills. 

Lack of Office Perks

Office perks are a proven way to keep talent happy and engaged. Free food and coffee are just a few examples of office perks remote workers miss out on. Prior to the rise of remote work, office perks were being enjoyed by employees across the globe. While there are certainly perks to working remotely, nothing can replace a fun game of ping pong with your colleagues to blow off some steam.  

Security Breaches

Data breaches cost businesses millions. According to IBM Security’s 17th Annual Cost of a Data Breach Report, the average data breach now costs $4.24 Million. The biggest remote work security concerns stem from:

• Data leaking through endpoints (27%)

• Loss of visibility of user activity (25%)

• Maintaining compliance with regulatory requirements (24%)

Almost 75 percent of organizations are worried about security risks and remote workers. And there’s reason to be concerned. Organizations with more than 50 percent of their workforce working remotely took 58 days longer to identify and contain breaches. 

While many rave about the rise of a remote workforce, there are pitfalls to watch out for. Be aware of the potential drawbacks that come along with a remote workforce.