More and more businesses, regardless of size, location, and industry, all over the globe, have partially and fully transitioned from the traditional office-based workforce to a remote workforce. The transition comes with advantages and disadvantages.
Here are the advantages of building a remote workforce.
Reduced overhead expenses
Overhead expenses are all costs that a business or company incurs to keep itself running and excludes expenses incurred in producing and manufacturing a product or service.
Supporting office-based work for your employees includes having to rent a commercial space, paying utilities such as water and electricity, and providing office-related supplies and equipment such as printers, monitors, office chairs, CPUs, and many more.
Establishing a remote workforce cuts down all the overhead expenses mentioned above since your employees will only require a quiet workspace, a laptop or desktop, and a fast and stable internet service.
Increased efficiency and productivity
Being able to work from home is considered a privilege for most people. There are business sites located in the heart of populated cities and urban infrastructures.
To report to work on time usually involves going through heavy traffic, busy sidewalks, and limited public transportations. In turn, you have no choice but to leave your home early to allocate how long your commute would take to reach your office.
Reduce the amount of time and energy your employees have to consume even before starting their shift by letting them work from home with flexible hours and schedules. As a result, it will significantly improve your employees' overall work-life balance, productivity, and efficiency.
Consequently, transitioning to a remote workforce has some disadvantages. One of the essential factors in building and maintaining a remote workforce as effective and smooth as possible is technology.
Here are some disadvantages that companies and employees can encounter in contrast with the appropriate technology tool or feature to rectify and solve the issues.
Lessened Security of Confidential Data and Files
Employees have to use their laptops and desktops and connect through the internet to access, upload, and download sensitive and confidential company data and files. Businesses should invest in having their Virtual Private Network.
VPN is one of the most important technology requirements for a remote workforce. It encrypts the user's internet data and traffic, thus securing it from possible hackers and third-party websites whenever you connect to the internet. Some well known recommended VPNs are Browsec, Surfshark, ExpressVPN, to name a few.
Less Collaboration and Communication
Since employees do not go to one specific venue to work anymore, co-workers cannot physically meet up to conduct their usual face to face meetings, thus affecting efficiency and communication. Conceptualizing, brainstorming, and presenting in collaboration with co-workers are highly restricted.
Businesses can implement the use of collaborative technology tools and VoIP tools. Employees may collaborate and work together through Microsoft Teams, Google Drive, Google Docs, Slack, and many more.
Employees can communicate and contact each other through audio or video calls using Skype, Zoom, Google Hangouts, and many more. Having group meetings and conducting conferences is highly accessible and convenient.
Technology is the means to drive and control your remote workforce's system can undeniably save businesses money and time. The most important thing to consider is to establish which technology tools are appropriate for your business needs.