Hina Javed Malik
According to surveys, telecommuters are considered less privileged when it comes to receiving promotions and salary raises. They are not encouraged for their performance no matter how hard they work and how sincere they are with their jobs. This is because of the fact that still, a major proportion of companies and organizations believe in the traditional way of working.
For some reason, telecommuters face set back because they are not seen in the office like regular office workers. They are not seen under the files by their bosses and fail to make impressions of being apparently busy all the time. “Out of sight, out of mind” is the notion that has still not faded away in the minds of most of the heads of organizations and they believe in work only with the physical presence of the worker.
According to Dennis Collins, senior marketing director at West Unified Communication Services, “The stigma that remote workers aren’t really working is a thing of the past, and more people are working from home. But it’s up to the employee to make sure they don’t become invisible”.
Challenges Faced By Telecommuters:
Technology has made possible working from home much easier and faster but still telecommuters come across many challenges while working.
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Absence from the traditional workplace:
Telecommuters do not experience engagement with office workers and do not get involved in any kind of company discussions. Staying away from the office culture keeps them restricted to their own self and they do not think more than their work. They do not compare themselves with their other coworkers because they do not know any and therefore have no desire to compete with their counterparts in terms of work.
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No real-time communication:
Telecommuters lack the presence of colleagues; they cannot develop any working relationships with other people. Trapped in their own shell, they do not make any face-to-face discussions with other people. This does not allow them to benefit from the information that can be passed on in case of working in a traditional workplace.
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Time management:
Additional job stress falls on the shoulders of remote workers. They often work long hours in order to prove they are more productive while working from home. But this stresses them with longer working hours and lower levels of good quality work.
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Lesser opportunities for networking:
Every day networking with colleagues allows workers to engage in organizational politics and influence decisions for strategic projects. Telecommuters are less aware of these opportunities and fail to develop such abilities.
Telecommuters are responsible for their own career development. They need to adopt a unique approach when it comes to dealing with their bosses. They cannot make face-to-face conversations neither they can impress their heads by taking longer working hours. They cannot ask for a salary raise because they cannot show their sincerity for the job as others so they need to make a digital approach.
Just emailing your employee asking for a raise will take you nowhere. You need to first reach a level where you can argue why you deserve to advance. With the help of video conferences, you can convince your boss effectively and efficiently that you have accomplished enough in order to advance.
Working remotely needs a telecommuter to work efficiently with a constant update of the work progress. Employees should also stay in search of solutions that are mobile and can be updated so workers do not feel left out while working from home.
