The rise of remote working and what it means for the workplace

Picture this. It’s a cold and dreary morning, you’re feeling a bit rundown, and the journey to work feels daunting. You check your calendar and see plenty of tasks but no meetings. A quick run-through shows that you don’t actually have to be in the office to get them done today.

Instead, you spend the commute time eating a proper breakfast, catching up on the news and get everything set up so that, at 9 am, you’re fresh and ready to face the day. Whether that’s at a desk, a table or on the sofa is up to you, and there are pros and cons for each, but no one can walk up to your desk and distract you from getting everything finished.

It sounds like a dream, right?

What does remote working mean?

When we say remote working, that’s not just working from home, but it is a part of it. As our technology grows and improves, so do the ways we use it. The Internet, in particular, has made remote working a viable option for more people, and this grows year on year.

There are some caveats to this, as certain roles and industries require employees to be on-site. It could be the nature of the job or the business, but there are plenty of examples where remote working can, and does work.

Remote working means being able to work effectively wherever you may be. Your typical workplace might be in Wellington, but you may be in Hamilton (for work or personal reasons). You should be able to not only complete tasks, but access files and resources easily and communicate with your team effectively. You might be in a café, shared office space, in a park or at home on the couch — and this flexibility is important to many employees.

The challenges to remote working

While some employees can work remotely, there are barriers to overcome for other workers to make use of that same opportunity. Recent research conducted by InternetNZ, the designated manager of the .nz domain name space, showed the most significant hurdle employees have when it comes to remote working is the face-to-face meetings, with 46 per cent of participants citing it as the reason they can’t work from home. Internet speed (21 per cent) and technology concerns (18 per cent) are other considerations.

Some put it down to the employer, with 22 per cent saying their employer doesn’t offer flexible conditions and 13 per cent identifying their employer doesn’t have the tools or infrastructure in place to allow remote working.

Let’s not forget that working remotely brings its own challenges, with location, setup and mindset to consider. Whether working from home or a shared office or even a coffee shop, you should bear in mind that different distractions will be present.

It could be the noise or kids at home. It could be the simple tasks like laundry or the little things like checking Facebook and social media without worrying about who might be watching. There are certainly ways to help keep your focus, but ensuring you have dedicated space to work helps, as does getting into a routine each morning to help you get into that work mentality.

What do we expect in the future?

InternetNZ’s annual research explores how Kiwis are using the Internet, what they think of it and much more. It is through this research that we have been able to see an increase in remote working.

In the most recent research, more than half of participants (54 per cent) had the opportunity to work from home, which is up 5 per cent from 2018. We can also see that more people work remotely all the time or very regularly more than in 2018, with an increase of 6 per cent from 13 per cent to 19 per cent.

This is a growing trend where remote working is becoming a reality for more workers and is a popular perk for those who want to manage their time more effectively, balance rewarding jobs against spending time with friends or family — or even taking a job in an entirely different location from where they live.

As our technology continues to improve and keep us connected, more people will likely be able to work remotely, even if only occasionally. It will create a dynamic shift in our work styles, too, so while there are certainly benefits to it, we have to watch out for the challenges that will inevitably accompany them.

Visit InternetNZ to see the full results from our latest research.