What assures success and prosperity in the remote work environment?.
Working from home is certainly more than what meets the eye. It is not entirely a cakewalk. Besides the apparent benefits of working in pyjamas, zero commuting, savings and usual office woes, this arrangement requires unwavering concentration, tech savviness, substantial investment in home-office inventory, high employee engagement and performance per excellence.
WFH sure is replete with challenges which may or may not be thwarted with the traditional skills that were relevant at workplace till the pandemic. Since remote work across MNCs, start-ups and small businesses is here to stay, here is a list of relevant skills that would enable employees to navigate through this scenario.
Flexibility to Adapt and Accommodate Changes
Since schedules may drastically vary and yet require rigid hours, employees might need to be more flexible to be able to work around personal space and work in a way that does not overlap the two distinct spheres.
Ability to Focus Irrespective of Distractions
To unplug on time and avoid procrastination which often leads to overworking, focus is an essential element for employees working diligently and often without break. Maintaining utmost concentration might require complete blocking out of visual and audible elements and zoning into the laptop screen. Since remote work barely allows the company of co-workers or a formal office environment, this skill to hold onto attentiveness without getting distracted could be daunting.
Time Management Skill to Compartmentalise Smoothly
Time management is at the helm of productivity and efficiency and certainly goes hand in hand with the capacity to stay engrossed in a task. This skill ends up benefitting the employee in ways more than imaginable for once the work assigned is complete within the allotted time, the potential for rewards and promotions albeit virtually.
Effective Communication Skills to Thwart Possible Lapses in Workflow
The need for both written and verbal communication has witnessed a paradigm shift in the remote workspace since it is being increasingly linked to productivity, employee efficiency, morale and teambuilding.
In a WFH setting, employees are inevitably required to switch to different modes of communication based on the purpose and by exercising proactivity, clarity and consistency. Besides executing daily responsibilities, communication skills are indispensable to collaborate and build rapport with workers now that everybody is working separately in their private silos.
Although WFH workers might get away with less formality, drowsy and redundant meetings and migraine-inducing after-party socialisation, only the capability to learn, unlearn and polish pertinent skills would assure long-term success.
