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For decades, remote work has been a concept reserved for freelancers, creatives, and tech professionals. Although companies allowing home offices for their employees was not a novel phenomenon, it wasn’t mainstream. A paradigm shift came with the pandemic, making working from home a necessity rather than just a benefit of the workplace.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n This rapid shift showed the benefits and challenges of remote working, affecting team communication and project collaboration. Nevertheless, it is safe to say that the home office is here to stay and many companies are adopting hybrid models. Upwork predicts that 73% of teams will have remote workers by 2028.<\/span><\/p>\n Digital collaboration tools (like the <\/span>Zenkit Suite<\/span><\/a>!) that promise better teamwork despite the distance compete for the limelight. With much software to choose from, it\u2019s important for teams and companies to adopt tools that will complement team productivity, supporting their workflow within these new standard work models.<\/span><\/p>\n We live in the age of <\/span>New Work<\/span><\/a> and Industry 4.0. New Work defines today’s working society in the global and digital age. The integration of intelligent technologies under the term <\/span>Industry 4.0<\/span><\/a> promotes a whole new concept of productivity and efficient systems. But what does all this have to do with remote work?<\/span><\/p>\n Well, depending on how you look at it, a little or a lot. The publication of the New York Times bestseller „<\/span>The 4-Hour Workweek<\/span><\/a>“ by Tim Ferriss is a good place to start making the connection. By demonstrating in his book how individuals can be just as productive in less time through process optimization, a stark contrast was created to the entrenched norm of the 40-hour workweek, initially created for production lines.<\/span><\/p>\n The appeal of flexible work hours and the nomadic<\/span> freedom to prioritize work-life balance has only grown. Remote work and home office are the results of technological development enabling and demonstrating that work can be executed successfully without co-location. Flexjobs estimates that 4.7 million people were already working remotely before the Covid-19 pandemic.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Collaboration tools support this type of lifestyle, where professionals work outside of a traditional office environment, yet going fully digital isn\u2019t as simple as it seems. Besides the fact that having a stable internet connection is an imperative requirement, remote work complicates the integration of corporate culture, as well as team communication, and engagement within tasks and projects.<\/span><\/p>\n Whether working in an office or remotely, the <\/span>art of effective team management<\/span><\/a> and the importance of good <\/span>workplace communication<\/span><\/a> are key elements and indicators for <\/span>successful team collaboration<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n With an increasing number of modern variations of working models, we\u2019ve described a few of the most common types:<\/span><\/p>\n Initially instigated in the 19th century, from workers protesting against gruelling long hours and requesting a reduction, the 40-hour-workweek was created to regulate the working hours of the working class. Ford Motor Company advanced the idea in 1914, which led to increased productivity in the production line. Many companies soon followed suit and the popularized phrase of <\/span>\u201c8 hours for work, 8 hours for rest, and 8 hours for what we will\u201d<\/span> was born.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Today, most companies and organizations run on the 40-hour-workweek. Albeit, more out of tradition and habit rather than a deliberate decision based on employee productivity. With this knowledge and recent technological developments, individuals and organizations are reexamining the classic 9-to-5 working model.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Hybrid models are usually known to be the best of both worlds. Organizations that have adopted hybrid working models allow employees the freedom to work remote or from home, and at times even to manage flexible working hours. This working model has become more popular in recent years as company infrastructure has developed. Owl Labs estimate that 52% of global employees work remotely once a week, and 68% do so at least once per month. Though hybrid models seem to be the answer for the future of work, only a selected range of job sectors can take advantage of these benefits, particularly due to job requirements and tasks.<\/span><\/p>\n Working with a view of the Swiss Alps in February, at a seaside hotel in Los Angeles in July, and from a coffee shop in downtown Sydney in October, is a dream come true for some. As much as this idealized version of remote work appeals to many, this type of work model is not exempt from challenges, particularly for the self-employed.<\/span><\/p>\n Working remotely gives employees the freedom to answer emails and write up project proposals from any given location, yet being able to support this lifestyle can often be quite challenging when working as a freelancer rather than being directly employed by a private company. Creative freelancers often work on a project-basis, which means that their professional and financial security is deadline-reliant.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Employees working for fully-remote companies like Zapier and Buffer however, receive the benefits of working remotely while being fully integrated in a company. Although working with peace of mind of receiving monthly paychecks, working for fully-remote companies include challenges too.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n That being said, there\u2019s always<\/span> a list of advantages and disadvantages. What\u2019s important is finding a style and process that fits and suits your needs best.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In short, the <\/span>4-day-workweek model<\/span><\/a> is about reducing working hours from a standard 40 hours to just 32 hours for the same pay and benefits. This work model, adopted by various companies worldwide, focuses on achieving the same output as a 40h week, but in a shorter amount of time. Proven by employees and employers to be successful in optimizing use of time in correlation to productivity, the 4-day-workweek offers flexibility and enables individuals to concentrate on what\u2019s important in their lives.<\/span><\/p>\n Considering the progression of work models, there\u2019s a good chance that there\u2019s at least one coworking space in every major city. As hubs of productivity, community, and technology, coworking spaces offer an out-of-home office atmosphere and networking opportunities with others who work in a multitude of industries.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Fun fact:<\/strong> The first official coworking space appeared in 2005 in San Francisco, USA.<\/span><\/p>\n Desk jobs aren\u2019t your thing and travelling the world has always been but a mere daydream for you? The work and travel model operates on short-term contract work often based on seasonal work such as during harvest time. Adventurers who enjoy taking each day at a time move location to where the work is. In this case, location is the objective and the type of work is the dynamic subjective<\/span>.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n The terms \u2018workation\u2019 and \u2018bleisure\u2019 gained significant traction as a new market trend in light of the pandemic. A concept for travelling workers or working travellers, where work and vacation were combined in a single location. According to Dr Hayley Stainton, \u201cA <\/span>workation<\/span><\/a> can be defined as a holiday, during which a substantial amount of time is dedicated to work.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n In Japan, the model was originally a way to realize a variety of work styles and promote creativity and networking opportunities in locations outside of the home and office. Today, various travel and tourism organizations offer workation packages for individuals as well as families.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Currently, travel restrictions and guidelines are subject to constant change. This in-depth<\/span> guide<\/span><\/a> on how to practice responsible tourism during COVID-19, prepares any traveller for the journey, whether for travelling to holiday destinations or for business trips.<\/span><\/p>\n Before the pandemic, the office was where millions of us spent about a third of our time.<\/span> With the range of working models already being implemented by organizations worldwide, why would the pandemic be considered a compelling driver to advance the standardization of home office or remote work<\/a>?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Simply put, the conditions of Covid-19 affirmed the urgency of digital transformation in business, and brought an unprecedented shift, designating hybrid working conditions a necessity rather than a benefit.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The mentality of remote working previously highlighted the benefits for individual employees. Today, home office and remote work is considered an asset for individuals as well as an advantage for company productivity and collaboration.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n From one day to the next, the world was required to adjust. Arguably, the potential of remote work has been realized. At the same time, the challenges and conditions in terms of the privilege interlaced with the arrangement were revealed.<\/span><\/p>\n +<\/strong><\/span> Remote work is reshaping a future new world of work,<\/span> popularizing modern working habits while disproving old ideas that working from home leads to low productivity with limited opportunity for collaboration.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n +<\/strong><\/span> The office-to-home transition caused a breakdown of emotional and professional barriers, allowing colleagues and clients a more intimate view into each others\u2019 personal lives.<\/span><\/p>\n +<\/strong><\/span> Importance of soft skills have increased as working remotely solicits more intentional interpersonal interactions.<\/span><\/p>\n –<\/strong><\/span> The potential for remote work is determined by tasks and activities, not occupations.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n –<\/span> <\/strong>Working from home draws a fine line in an individual\u2019s work-life balance. A heightened level of responsibility and trust is required from managers and employees.<\/span><\/p>\n –<\/span>\u00a0<\/strong>Affecting more than just personal factors, remote work <\/span>affects engagement, performance management, means less office space<\/span>, and more.<\/span><\/p>\n Workplace values have been redefined: the future of work is remote. Instead of planning activities in life around working hours, remote working enables individuals to incorporate the necessities of their life and work.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The popular concept of leading a work-life balance lifestyle advocates for similar objectives, but with different intentions. Work-life balance is a concept referring <\/span>to the level of prioritization between personal and professional activities in an individual\u2019s life<\/span>. What many early adopters have come to realize is that the work-life balance lifestyle is a cycle rather than a destination or an achievement.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Remote working or working from home grants employees flexibility where it matters, whether that is picking up the children from school on time or allowing the laundry to dry in the sunlight rather than using the dryer. At best, working from home should reinforce an individual\u2019s work-life balance.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The flexible lifestyle isn\u2019t the only thing proving beneficial to remote workers‘ mental health and likelihood of company loyalty. Working from home simultaneously requires and fosters individual time and <\/span>task management<\/span><\/a>, and responsibility.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Cutting travel time and other forms of mundanity from life, employees are able to focus on work. With less time spent commuting for example, employees are able to manage their health, tasks, and responsibilities better. As a result, a silent expectation for employees to rise to the occasion by living up to their potential is present.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Despite the expectation, swapping out the busyness of crowded train stations for a 30-minute walk in the neighbourhood park with the dog can cause significant changes to an individual\u2019s health. Now, instead of attending company-run in-person team-building activities, some companies set aside time in the week to encourage employees to engage in activities that inspire and empower them for work and life.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n What remote work advocates promote, such as Laurel Farrer in her <\/span>working remote article<\/span><\/a>, is that \u201cwork is something you do, not somewhere you go\u2026 For knowledge workers whose roles rely on mobile tools, location should be a daily choice, not a lifestyle commitment.\u201d With the right tools and circumstances, work doesn\u2019t need to be chained to an office desk.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Granted, working remotely makes employee and task supervision more complex. But with less time lost moving from one office room to another for meetings, and no more lines for afternoon coffee, more time can be invested in getting work done.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n Discover the ultimate project management tool. With fewer employees in the office, businesses need less office space, decreasing rent cost exponentially. Instead, companies can opt to invest in supplying employees with the necessary work equipment or offering other benefits as an alternative to the cost of the canteen upkeep.<\/span><\/p>\n While eliminating location from the equation brings flexibility, certain concerns are also key variables when considering if and how to implement remote work at a company. Working remotely requires high self-management, time management, and <\/span>team management<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Engagement is usually what suffers first due to the distance. Managers and colleagues working from home can\u2019t simply walk over to ask a question about the financial proposal or spend time catching up with their morning brew in the office kitchen on Mondays. Instead, an increase of chat notifications, forwarded emails and dedicated meetings to discuss workflow best describe the workday.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Team meetings over Zoom or Skype are certainly different from those held in the office meeting room. When working with distributed teams, distance should merely be considered a factor rather than an obstacle for team integration.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The method for scheduling and conducting meetings may have changed, but the objective to encourage teamwork and team spirit remains. Managers as well as coworkers require and should actively seek interpersonal relationships within the workplace. Just like work isn\u2019t tied to a location, company culture isn\u2019t contained in a building. Rather, corporate culture is cultivated by the individuals that make up the company.<\/span><\/p>\n The responsibility and journey for cultivating a strong and effective team and company culture is an individual process. That being said, there are ways and certain <\/span>remote team management mistakes to avoid<\/span> to make the process easier.<\/span><\/p>\n Every company uses software for everyday business operations. With oodles to choose from, it\u2019s the team and company\u2019s responsibility to evaluate which tools best support both internal and external business operations. Some companies use Suites, while others mix & match; some even create their own apps for internal processes.<\/span><\/p>\n Either way, when it comes down to the wire, productivity tools and team management software is a growing billion dollar business with a mixture of advantages and disadvantages. On the one hand, <\/span>team management software can build stronger teams<\/span><\/a>. At the same time, it\u2019s vital to analyze whether a <\/span>productivity tool is actually enabling team productivity<\/span><\/a> or not at all.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Praised for all of the benefits, working remotely isn\u2019t available as a viable option for everyone. Hospitals, supermarkets, hairdressers, and other services will necessarily continue to be in-person. Although technology has certainly enabled medical consultations and other services to be handled online, not everything can be solved digitally. Even with advancements in machine learning and robotics, it\u2019s hard to envision massage parlours or operating rooms to switch to robot-only employees.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Research into <\/span>the future of remote work<\/span><\/a> from McKinsey Global Institute indicates that <\/span>the potential for work is determined by tasks and activities, not occupations<\/span>. Professionals able to avail of remote work fall into categories of <\/span>highly skilled, highly educated workers in various industries, occupations, and geographies<\/span>. For those already working with digital and mobile tools, like those working in the IT, communications, and marketing sector, the option of home office is often already included in the contract.<\/span><\/p>\n One of the most impactful changes the pandemic brought was to the way humans work. Businesses switched to digital collaboration tools for team communication, project management, and more. The best collaboration tools facilitate effective teamwork for tasks and projects, primarily in a streamlined manner.<\/span><\/p>\n In this case, there is no \u2018one software fits all\u2019, since the tools companies require should strengthen and support individual business operations and the organizational structures.\u00a0 A countless list of applications and their alternatives are available for any type of work and team size. We\u2019ve listed a few categories essential for remote teams:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The most widely used mobile apps are chat apps, because communication is necessary to get any work done. Originally created to replace email conversations, enterprise chat apps are essential internal communication platforms for teams today. Every company uses enterprise messaging applications to facilitate and boost teamwork, communication, and collaboration.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The most popular enterprise chat apps allow teams to not only communicate with one another but also on specific topics, projects, and tasks. Depending on the interface, <\/span>chat apps for business<\/span><\/a> include features allowing teams to create channels, categorize topics, use quick edits, manage tasks, share files, conduct export functions, and more.<\/span><\/p>\n Top 4 Chat Apps for Business:<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"young](\"https:\/\/zenkit.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/pexels-andrew-neel-4134783-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/p>\nWhat\u2019s the deal with New Work & Industry 4.0?<\/span><\/h3>\n
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<\/p>\nTypes of work models<\/span><\/h3>\n
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<\/p>\n1. 40-Hour-Workweek, or, the classic 9-to-5<\/span><\/h4>\n
2. Hybrid Model, where Home Office is part of the deal<\/span><\/h4>\n
3. Remote Work, work without co-location<\/span><\/h4>\n
4. 4-Day-Workweek, popular work-life-balance model<\/span><\/h4>\n
5. Coworking Spaces, the office alternative for professionals<\/span><\/h4>\n
6. Work & Travel, the best of both worlds<\/span><\/h4>\n
7. Workation, let\u2019s combine work and leisure<\/span><\/h4>\n
How have things changed?<\/span><\/h3>\n
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<\/p>\nBenefits and challenges at a glance\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n
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Benefits of remote working<\/span><\/h3>\n
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<\/p>\n1. Flexibility: Remote work grants individuals the opportunity to develop a work-life balance due to the flexibility offered through the working model.\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n
2. A Healthy Balance: Employees are able to manage their health, tasks, and responsibilities better. Eliminating the commute and rigid routines can alleviate stress to allow individuals to do deep work and grow their creativity.\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n
3. Time Management: Remote work possibly requires more management, however simultaneously allows an increase in creative flow and productive output.<\/span><\/h4>\n
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\n<\/a><\/p>\n <\/div>\n\n \n4. Cost-saving (for businesses): Reducing the need for office space enables companies to invest in other things, preferably to the benefit of employees.<\/span><\/h4>\n
Challenges of remote working<\/span><\/h3>\n
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<\/p>\n1. Team Culture: The objective to encourage teamwork and cultivate a team and company spirit remains, although the method to achieve this may have changed.<\/span><\/h4>\n
2. Management: Using <\/span>productivity tools<\/span><\/a> to manage and regulate team, task, and time management is the answer.<\/span><\/h4>\n
3. Party for the privileged? Remote work is only available for those working in sectors or jobs that are primarily made up of online tasks and activities.<\/span><\/h4>\n
Collaboration tools for the workplace: the tools that keep employees productive despite distance<\/span><\/h3>\n
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Chat Apps<\/span><\/h4>\n