Remote Work Issues And How To Deal With It As An Employee -By Adetayo Omotoyosi Adeolu

Remote work sounds interesting when you think of all the benefits that come with it. But do you also know that you could get fired by your employer while working remotely?

Now that arguments are beginning to tilt towards the Post-COVID era, thereby resulting in some nations easing their imposed lockdown that was originally meant to stem the spread of the deadly coronavirus. A lesson that will be hard to erase in the minds of millions in this generation is that of the negative and positive impacts that the virus had on us.

Some companies adopted a remote work style during the lockdown and many more will follow this pattern more to ease the stress of their employees and also maintain social distancing. But the are some underlying issues associated with remote work, they may make or mar your career as an employee if not adequately dealt with. Some of the issues are listed below so you can find a balance and still function effectively.

Productivity or online activity

Being online is not equal to productivity, there is a lot of distractions on the internet that can hinder your productivity. They include but not limited to engaging in baseless conversations that add nothing to you. One of the platforms people engage in baseless conversation is Twitter where they abuse and curse people using unguarded statements.

While I agree that there are millions of people making good use of this platform, you can join those few million buy engaging in meaningful conversations that result in productivity.

Data bills

Data is very important to people working online because most of their daily task is performed online and the unavailability of this can lead to top redundancy. Now the question is who will be responsible for the data bills, is it the company or the employees?

Data bills are pretty expensive in some parts of the world, especially in a country like Nigeria where the data drains faster. Will the company take responsibility for the payment of data or will the employees pay for data from their salaries or wages?

This will be the center of discussions in days and months to come as the world tried to adjust to the new normal after the lockdown. Your own duty as an employee is to negotiate with your employers and come to an agreement on this particular issue.

Stable electricity

Electricity is one of the requirements of functioning effectively as a remote worker. Not just electricity, but a stable one. But in countries where such facilities are non-existence or epileptic, what will be the fate of such workers?

Is the company going to make provisions for allowance to power their gadgets? Or will it be the responsibilities of the employees? These are salient issues that you need to sort out with your employers as they may make or break you during your work hours.

Punishment for not being online

Are companies going to enforce punishment on their staff for not being online at some certain time of the day? Now that you will be working remotely, you are expected to be online for quick communication with your boss, especially if you hold a critical position in your place of work.

It is true that you might just want to take some minutes to relax, go offline, but do you ever take into consideration of your co-workers, bosses who might want to pass an urgent message to you at that point? The best way to do this is to come to an agreement on a break period that can enable you to stay offline for sometime and relax your body.

Grace Period

We all need grace, but this type of grace is not from the lord, it is from your company. For instance, you were offline for sometime, will there be grace that waves punishment for you? I read a story on LinkedIn where an employee was fined for staying offline during work hours. It is your duty to find out if your company offers a grace period for defaulters.

Zoom

This lockdown has showered the light on zoom as a verifiable means of communication between employees and their workers. Many people are switching to this platform in order to facilitate their organization’s goals and meet their targets. To make this point further, churches are switching to this platform too. Many are now holding church meetings on Zoom.

The church I attend for instance now holds church service online. So this is where you come in, learn how to use zoom, the etiquette, turn your microphone off if you are not talking. Also, ensure you are on time when there is a meeting.

Do not forget to discuss the issues above with your employers if you have agreed to work remotely because they cannot be sidelined. To improve your productivity and to ensure the success of the company you are working for, it is important to deal with the above-listed issues to avoid a crisis.