With preventive measures against COVID-19 being enforced, telecommuting has become essential for anyone who can work remotely. However, there are challenges that come with full-time remote work. Parents with kids who are also at home may find this period of time difficult.
However, the positives outweigh the negatives when it comes to remote work, according to our employees. In fact, many of them have taken a liking to this new reality! Telecommuting, even during a lockdown period, has several advantages.
1. Being able to focus more at home
Many employees mentioned that it's easier to concentrate on strenuous tasks when they’re working from home. Apart from those who have to look after young children during lockdown, most employees are working in a quiet, distraction-free environment. This means they can get on with tasks that would normally take longer to complete.
2. Saving time and even money
One of the main advantages of telecommuting is that you don't have to travel to get to work. Employees who used to commute long distances to the office now have more time on their hands! Less commuting also means saving money on gas and vehicle maintenance.
3. Flexible telecommuting
Remote work is a great way to improve your work-life balance. By working from home, employees can easily divide up the hours in their day to meet other obligations. For example, parents who need to look after their young children can take more breaks, then make up their hours at the end of the day.
Flexible schedules and a focus on family-work balance are two of the many advantages of working at Soucy!
4. Greater team efficiency
Working outside the office requires teams to be better organized. To ensure projects are progressing smoothly requires more follow ups from each team member. This new approach has enabled numerous teams to update their working methods and boost their efficiency.
Collaborative tools such as Microsoft Teams also facilitate document management and sharing. Meetings are also quicker, since videoconferencing means that everyone gets straight to the point, addressing priority topics at the start of the call.
5. Being in the comfort of your own home
Remote work means enjoying the comforts of being at home. For example, at lunchtime, you can eat with your spouse or children. Several employees also mentioned the advantage of being able to dress more casually. Attending a meeting in slippers is much more comfortable than in a jacket and tie!
Others say they are less stressed by working from home and that they enjoy greater freedom. They can, for example, play music in their office without disturbing anyone or use their lunch break to work out.
For some, lockdown has been the first time they’ve worked from home. This trial has been very successful. In fact, many employees have expressed their desire to continue teleworking a few days a week, after the COVID-19 pandemic.
At Soucy, we have an internal policy offering one day of remote work per week to make schedules more flexible. Moreover, the MaFlexibilité program at Soucy also offers other ways of adapting your schedule to meet your personal needs.