A managerial challenge

Most managers feel more comfortable in a face-to-face exchange than through a video conference. From a distance, words don’t always have the same impact, misunderstandings happen faster. The risk is then to support its collaborators less effectively in teleworking. In addition, we must keep in mind that with distance and over time, complicity or trust also weakens almost naturally, which undermines the quality of the relationship created.

The manager may, without realizing it, come to shirk their duty as a team driver and abandon some of them. The challenge is to know how to value everyone’s work with respect. From a distance, they must necessarily be more flexible, be more transparent about strategic decisions and more sharing to convey the values of the company.

Overhaul of organizations

Companies that decide to go further into teleworking will therefore have to overhaul their organization. It will be necessary to rethink things in a systemic way, to organize workspaces, computer supplies, equipment, human resources management.

The management will no longer be able to be authoritarian, that would not work. If people give up and leave, the business will lose its skills. In addition, it is more difficult to solve a difficulty alone, and also more difficult to ask for help or advice from a distant colleague. The whole organization needs to be reviewed.

Finally, it will be necessary to face the fractures on subjects linked to new tools and modes of communication, sometimes less mastered by the oldest. In short, to persist in the path of massive teleworking, it will not be easy to change everything.

Stress

While the primary benefit of teleworking is work-life balance, it can sometimes go wrong. Indeed, with work schedules made more flexible, the flip side is no longer finding the limit between the two. A considerable risk to the well-being of the employee who can work at any time, or far too long, with no one to stop him. This risk is all the more difficult to manage if the employee enjoys their job and therefore sets limits even less. In the worst case, the teleworker’s discomfort can even lead to burnout.

Hyper connected but isolated, you can drown, carried away by this wave of digital information. By telecommuting full time, you can quickly put the pressure on yourself. Stress is also wanting to appear busy and feeling pressured to stay online on Slack or Skype to prove you’re working.

While we often paint an idealized portrait of teleworking (less commuting, more peace of mind), we can also feel the stress of having to be more accountable because we are not at the office, the stress of having to be more productive because you commute less and are supposed to have less distraction by being quiet at home to work. This is where the need for face-to-face exchange, colleagues, the general atmosphere, becomes essential.

Isolation

Isolation is one of the biggest drawbacks of telecommuting. This isolation can be difficult for some people to manage. Not seeing the people, you work with and communicate with face to face can be a real handicap, both at work and in how a person feels. This isolation exists above all among employees working full time from home

By nature, the teleworker no longer shares his workplace with his colleagues. As a result, they risk feeling excluded and losing his sense of belonging to a group. Care should therefore be taken to maintain direct contact with management and colleagues. To this end, some employers limit teleworking to just a few days a week. Attending regular meetings is also a good way to prevent this isolation.

Homeworkers insurance

You should know that even working at home is risky, so you must always be insured. A teleworker must take out adequate home insurance to cover them properly. With this in mind, it is imperative to take out professional comprehensive insurance, which will protect the house for the exercise of the activity. Classic home insurance cannot cover damage related to the profession. It is then necessary to take out at least a professional liability guarantee, where a simple home liability insurance only protects on a private and personal level. As part of a professional activity at home, the worker must cover the dedicated equipment. Professional damage insurance is designed to protect the worker and his property as work.