ManpowerGroup South Africa’s managing director, Lyndy van den Barselaar, says: “A successful remote worker is disciplined, dedicated and proactive, and has impeccable communication skills.”
In South Africa specifically, one-third of workers work from outside one of their company’s main offices for half the week or more, according to a recent study carried out by Regus. The survey, which canvassed more than 370 business people in South Africa, also found that 62% of people work remotely for at least some of the time.
While remote working is clearly a growing trend, it is not necessarily synonymous with working from home – only a minority of respondents said that they worked exclusively from home (12%). Rather, workers suggest that they work remotely in order to remain productive while travelling to and from meetings within the same city or in other cities (59%).
“As the business landscape continues to evolve, and the digital transformation changes the way we live, work and communicate, remote working is set to become more prevalent,” explains van den Barselaar. “Remote working has both advantages and disadvantages, and needs to be well managed by employers and employees alike, to ensure the highest chance of success.”
• Increased control over working time and conditions.
• More flexibility in achieving a work/life balance.
• Independence, self-sufficiency, and more autonomy over how you perform the work.
• Reduced travel expenses.
• Can hinder career mobility.
• Greater need to be self-motivated.
• Can make one feel less connected to the overall organisation, its mission and vision.
• Reduced social interaction can lead to feelings of social and professional isolation.
“A concern that many employees who work remotely have is remaining ‘visible’ within the organisation – feeling part of the team and being considered for promotions, raises important new projects,” says Van den Barselaar.
In order to ensure the best chance of success, Van den Barselaar offers the following tips for maintaining organisational visibility while working remotely:
“It is important to continue to be committed to your role, and to adding value to the organisation. Not only will this bode well for your career development, but also for the organisation’s bottom line,” says Van den Barselaar.
“Working remotely requires hard work and dedication. While it is certainly not for everyone, the trend is set to keep growing and changing the business landscape - which means employees and employers alike need to take note of the way it influences their organisation,” Van den Barselaar concludes.