It’s been a few years since the COVID-19 pandemic first indelibly reared its head and changed the lives of people all over the world. While we have learned to live with its continued, more muted, presence, it has still left a lasting legacy – and for many people, this is arguably most evident in how and where we work. 

All over the world, Individuals and companies alike have shifted their thinking around the way we approach or define a “normal” working day or environment. Many have been downsizing their unnecessary bricks and mortar footprint by affording employees the opportunity to work from anywhere; or at least work from home occasionally. Numerous countries have even gone as far as trialing and adopting shorter work weeks with no loss in pay, as global workforces reevaluated their work-life balance requirements. But let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves.

When it comes to working remotely, there are undoubtedly many appealing benefits, such as: no morning commute or evening rush hour traffic; no stress from trying to find a parking space or needing to brave the elements between the car and the office; and no need for freshly-pressed shirts and skirts to make yourself even “casual dress code” presentable – though you should always maintain a professional look, even if just appearing on camera for meetings. 

For people who are neurodivergent or highly sensitive to their surroundings, there is another benefit – the ability to reduce the amount of noises, conversation, and experiences that could prove to be overwhelming, overstimulating, distracting, or even draining for them.

And in recent surveys – such as Buffer’s 2022 State of Remote Work report – employees overwhelmingly (97%) recommend remote work. Yet as with many things in life, there are pros and cons, and even with all of the benefits of remote work, there are also downsides, or at least challenges, to overcome. One, for instance, is the belief that career growth is more difficult (45%) for remote teams or individuals. Another perhaps more obvious one – albeit with less obvious greater or longer-term impacts – is the lack of in-person human question. Among these challenges, some are in fact entirely surmountable. Read on to find out what they are – and how to overcome them.

Lack of suitable space

Not everyone is blessed with an abundance of space in their abode, replete with disposable rooms that can be rearranged into a home office. People cohabitating in a one-bedroom apartment, for example; it’s rare that you’d be able to organize such a space to allow a permanent work-from-home existence. In such a situation, you want your limited square-footage to be a safe-haven – your refuge from micromanagers and menial tasks – adorned with happy memories and personal touches that make you feel warm. What you don’t want it to be is a constant reminder of an impending deadline or intimidating presentation where you can’t physically separate yourself from work, even after working hours are done.

If you can’t create a haven of calm and productivity in your home – you simply don’t want to, in order to keep your work and private life separate – look to your community to find what other options are available to you. Are there any co-working spaces you could camp out at during the workday? A local library, perhaps? Even a friendly cafe boasting outlets for your charging cable, and a decent Wi-Fi connection with the purchase of a coffee. Each person is different, and it could be wise to try out a variety of different options until you find your own ideal environment for greater productivity. And if you need a little extra boost, you can find it in Jana Dawson’s Infijoy course on finding motivation in a hybrid or remote work environment.

Trouble switching off

If you are fortunate enough to have the space (or if you’ve been left with no other option than to set up a workstation within 20 feet of where you sleep), one of your greatest concerns might be how to separate your work-life from your home-life once your office hours are over. In essence, switching off from a remote job becomes less of a foregone formality, and it can feel like you’re constantly on the clock as you eat, interact, and work from the same kitchen table chair. Without putting certain boundaries in place to create this separation, or by being mindful about this concern, you might blur the lines of where work stops, and home life begins before even realizing it.

One key way of creating that separation is to take regular breaks. Stand up, walk away from your desk and whatever device you use most for work, and temporarily disconnect from “work time” and detach it from “down time”. Another method could be to create a little ritual for yourself that distinguishes that line between the end of work and the start of your personal time – perhaps it’s a song that you play, or the fact that you make a concerted effort to change from your work clothes (even if they are comfier ones!) to your off-duty clothing. Set reminders for yourself – to take a lunch break and clock out on time ­– which will almost certainly boost productivity by giving your day decent structure.

Hindered team communication

Depending on your industry (or your company’s communication style), a remote workforce can be detrimental, or at best partially hindering, to the creative process. Breakout and brainstorming sessions have proved exceptionally beneficial to collective creativity, so when you lose that in-person energy, or enforced interaction, you risk missing out on upcoming trends you otherwise might not have gotten wind of, or the snowball effect of a great idea bouncing from one person to the next. 

Although it might feel a little like micromanaging for some people – such as the introverts that just want to get on with their work, or the anxious people dreading performance reviews – catch-up calls are crucial to the continued successful communication of the team as a whole. A quick Zoom every other morning – which is also great for creating structure to your day, and influencing you to rise and dress as if you were going to the office – a shared drive offering access to all important assets, or simply a chat group on a messenger such as Slack or Teams that keeps the conversation going; there are innumerable tools to ensure your team remains connected. For your part, you can become a conscious communicator, cultivate positive emotions, and create a world that enables you to flourish. 

Disruptive time management

Much like switching off, managing your time in a remote role can be difficult, leading to a potential dip in productivity. Add in cross-cultural time zones if you’re in a “work from anywhere” situation, where a start-of-the-workday-time call might coincide with somebody else’s intermittent fasting lunch, and you’re on the right track to declining output and efficiency. Lining up your co-workers can be laborious at times, but being mindful of their schedules is a step in the right direction. It’s also crucial that you maintain your own schedule, as home distractions are more inclined to take your attention than the distractions you’re used to in an office setting. 

Time management is ultimately about learning to manage one’s priorities better, and if it’s done well, it can offer you a whole host of benefits, from affording you a better work-life balance, less stress and anxiety, a greater sense of control over your goals and future, and the feeling that you’re somehow earning yourself more hours throughout the day that can be spent on the things that make you feel happy and fulfilled. 

Technical difficulties

When it comes to physical disruptions to your working environment, certain things are beyond your control – like the consistency of your internet quality. You can have the quickest connection available to you, but you can’t control when it freezes or needs a router reboot. If you’re not working from your home, the coffee shop you’ve camped up at, or the shared working space you frequent, may also find its bandwidth stretched by an increase of remote workers – or perhaps your remoteness is so remote that wi-fi is, at its best, terribly patchy. And let’s not forget the possibility that your laptop itself might crash.

The easiest way to overcome the dreaded dropped connection mid-video conference is to have a mobile hotspot device on hand, or a generous data plan and a smartphone to tether to it. It’s not a flawless backup, but it could be the best one available. While you’re at it, try to prepare for hardware failures by carrying a backup device, such as a tablet or electronic notebook, which will allow you to continue your work as a temporary fix.

Feeling of loneliness and sedentariness

Perhaps one of the greatest challenges of remote work, the isolation that can come with working away from the physical presence of colleagues, may, at first, seem like more of a blessing – yet studies have shown that a lack of human connection can be detrimental. Humans are ultimately social creatures. Whatever way we prefer to do it, we are hardwired to connect with other people, and our need for companionship, to some extent, is as basic as our need for food, water, and shelter. 

There’s no denying that spending time with yourself has the ability to promote important self-reflection – and introverts may even revel in it – but extreme loneliness can be damaging to your health. Not only can it negatively affect your social well-being and communication skills, but it may also hinder the development of healthy relationships with others. Feeling lonely can make you feel less motivated for work, driving down productivity and growth.

Another significant impact of working remotely is the lack of movement that can come from working from home. At the office, despite often being deskbound, you’re still relatively mobile. You have the walk from whatever mode of transportation got you there, desk-hop visits to different departments, and maybe a lunchtime walk in the fresh air. At home, besides losing the constant interaction in an office setting (which causes you to miss out on the almost subconscious movement and activity throughout the day), it’s easy to forget to get up and get your blood flowing, let alone stretch your legs. Getting regular exercise is an important aspect of maintaining physical health – which, in turn, can impact your mental and emotional health too.

One way to counteract both of these issues is to use your scheduled downtime to interact with those around you. Hit the gym with a buddy at lunchtime, or before or after work; go for a short walk with a friend; or invite family over for dinner. Perhaps you could even use that time saved from not commuting to have a chat with a colleague about life outside the office. 

Ultimately, one of the greatest benefits of working a remote or hybrid job is the flexibility that it can offer – it’s not a one-size-fits-all picture. And just as that flexibility allows you to tailor your habits of productivity, efficiency, and quality to what brings out the best in your unique way of working, it’s just as important to manage your time and activities around that remote lifestyle so they work for your needs, too.

All of the content on our website is thoroughly researched to ensure that the information shared is evidence-based. For more information, please visit the academic journals and other resources that influenced this article: State of Remote Work Reports; The Psychological Challenges of Remote Working; The Effects of Remote Work on Collaboration Among Information Workers; How Working From Home Works Out; Remote Working: Unprecedented Increase and a Developing Research Agenda