Remote working, also known as telecommuting, is a practice in which employees are permitted to work outside of the central offices run by their employers. Companies with such policies allow employees to work from various locations, including their homes, libraries, and other shared spaces. Furthermore, remote workers could attend an organization meeting remotely, which is generally enhanced by technology. Today, remotes and online discussions have taken their course, and many organizations worldwide are transitioning from traditional corporate offices to online methods of holding meetings and managing organizations. As Arunprasad (33) noted, remote working became popular in late 2020 and early 2021, when the COVID-19 global pandemic was a primary concern. Many governments worldwide issued directives to organizations to reduce the number of employees to comply with the social distancing rule. Organizations, for their part, adopted telecommuting as a means of continuing operations despite the COVID-19 strike.
Purpose of this Paper
Although many studies have been conducted on the benefits of employee telecommuting, the practice has challenges and drawbacks for both employers and employees. According to Rajbanshi (25), some of the advantages of telecommuting include reduced commuting, increased efficiency in recruiting and hiring and increased productivity. Recent studies have also looked into the issue and added much more information about telecommuting. According to Hacquard and Justine, the practice relieved organizations of the need to construct large corporate office spaces. This is because virtual teams are more natural and adaptable, which improves business continuity in the long run. However, this paper aims to investigate and conclude the social and professional issues associated with remote working. Furthermore, the report will examine the effects of the problems identified on both individual employees and the organization, citing evidence.
Social Issues for the Individual Telecommuting Employee
Since the start of COVID-19 in late 2020, many organizations have adopted remote working as their preferred working style. However, telecommuting research is educating on the social effects of remote working on individual employees. According to Fan and Moen (171), the concept of remote working existed and was accelerated in 2020 when the global coronavirus pandemic forced organizations to invest in remote working to protect their employees from the pandemic. According to the study, the years 2020 and 2021 were difficult for employees because they were expected to embrace remote working practices unanimously (Fan and Moen 179). Recent telecommuting studies agree that many employees worldwide have embraced the flexibility of remote working while yearning for the social interaction they had while working in a corporate or traditional office setting.
Given that firms are migrating from office to online working, taking into account employees’ voices and well-being is an issue that must be treated seriously. This is because telecommuting poses psychological risks to employees. The main difficulty of remote working with employees, according to Arunprasad et al. (51), is the lack of social interaction. Although many employees have the necessary equipment for remote work, it has been demonstrated that many face behavioral and cultural problems when working from home (Arunprasad et al. 52). According to a recent study by Petrila et al. (60), many firms now have resources for remote working; however, around 33% of employees worldwide cited a lack of social connections with their coworkers and an unsatisfactory relationship with their organization. Another fundamental societal difficulty revealed by the research is that workers struggle to maintain a clear boundary between their personal and professional lives. This is true because employees are not bound by workplace rules such as dress code or posture when doing their duties from home.
Another social concern with remote working is disruptions and diversions. Employees working from home significantly risk distraction and disruption from various sources, including home activities, family members, and other personal difficulties (Delany 8). This is true because employees work from home, where several things require their attention. As a result, employees find it challenging to balance their personal and professional lives while working from home. Long video meetings, increased stress and anxiety, working for long hours, or the inability to shut off at the end of the day are some employees’ social problems associated with remote working. Further studies have identified social isolation, a lack of collaborative communication, and a lack of access to knowledge as other social issues related to remote working.
Social Issues Impact
Remote working indeed causes many social concerns for employees. As mentioned in the preceding paragraph, many employees whose firms have implemented telecommuting have identified a variety of social difficulties that need to be addressed. These societal concerns harm both the company and the individual employees. For example, Delany (9) discovered that a lack of connection between coworkers lowers employees’ working morale, hence their inactivity. This is a problem since less active personnel implies lower production, which impacts the organization’s success. Remote employees have more flexibility since workplace restrictions do not limit them, leading to undesirable behavioral cultures, such as lethargy and unsuitable office dress rules. According to Delany (7), worker sloth and home distraction harm firms in terms of output and brand identity. Employees that are well-mannered and orderly market the company’s brand name, attracting more consumers in a long time. In summary, the social challenges that remote working brings directly harm individual employees while also reflecting low organizational performance.
Career Issues
Career difficulties are contentious in today’s society, as many employees are unsure whether telecommuting would jeopardize their career and profession. Is working remotely detrimental to an employee’s career? Speculations abound on different sites bemoaning telecommuting. According to the charges, remote employment leads to fewer opportunities for advancement and lower pay than in-office work. According to Dujay’s analysis, there is no discernible difference in promotion for remote and in-office staff. However, it was discovered that remote workers were paid less than their in-office counterparts. According to Delany (7), telecommuting increases employee lethargy and causes them to fail to complete their given work. This is highly hazardous to both the corporation and the individual remote workers. For example, a company may fire a non-active remoter worker to improve organizational performance. As a result, the remote workers lose their jobs while, at the same time, the organization suffers from a deficit of talented employees. Although no research has established the effect of remote working on employees’ careers, there is a widespread belief that telecommuting leads to fewer opportunities for advancement and lower compensation. Therefore many people are wary of it.
Career Issues Impact
The unfavorable perceptions of telecommuting are influencing employees’ willingness to take remote working employment. These ideals have bewitched many workers’ minds, and as a result, many are opting for in-office positions to advance and receive other perks quickly. Regardless of the company, employees are typically motivated and encouraged by promotions and incentives (Judge and Robbins 244). Workers who do not receive such perks are less engaged and satisfied with their jobs. As a result of these telecommuting concepts, analysts claim that workers nowadays prefer in-office settings since they appear to have an advantage over remote employees. Because it is assumed that telecommuting provides fewer chances, employees are less motivated to give their all because they believe their efforts will not be appreciated as those in the office. As a result, this influences the organization’s and individual employees’ growth. This is true because distant workers provide more diminutive than their full capacity, affecting total corporate performance.
Conclusion
The ongoing debate over telecommuting, also known as remote working, has defined the phrase as working from home rather than in an office. As mentioned at the outset, the purpose of this study was to research telecommuting while paying particular attention to the social and professional concerns that arise as a result of the deployment of telecommuting in enterprises. It was also discovered that the concept of remote working existed but was expedited and popularized as a result of the effects of COVID-19 on enterprises. The findings of this research show that remote working poses several social issues affecting not just individual employees but also the business. Some recognized social workers’ complaints are lack of interaction, loneliness, diversions, and long working hours. Furthermore, this article has highlighted the prevalent misconceptions about career advancement in the context of remote working. As stated in this study, some employees consider that remote work provides fewer improvement opportunities. In summary, remote working social and career issues impact organizational success by directly affecting the individual employees.
Works Cited
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Judge, Timothy A, and Stephen Robbins. Organizational Behavior. 17th ed., Pearson Education, 2017, p. 244.
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