Remote work gained significant traction during the pandemic and has prevailed post-pandemic. As remote work surges into one of the prominent work modes, myths abound about this way of work.  

As a remote worker with first-hand experience, I think the time has come to separate facts from myths and advocate remote work. I hope this will address reservations about remote work and enable more people to consider working remotely.   

Myth #1 

Remote work means “working from home.” 

When the COVID pandemic struck and global lockdowns confined people at home, work-from-home became the norm. The perception that only work-from-home is remote work is somehow stuck in the collective psyche even after the pandemic. 

I work for Genashtim Pte Ltd, a 100% remote work for-profit social enterprise that prioritizes hiring workers from disadvantaged communities, particularly, people with disabilities (PWDs). I am a wheelchair user who started working with Genashtim in 2019. While it’s true that I work from home and have a whole home office situation going on, I also worked from nursing home facilities when my mother underwent eye surgeries and could not care for me. I didn’t need to take unpaid leave and be idle as I waited for my mother to recover to resume working. My work processes weren’t interrupted. My pending tasks didn’t pile up. My virtual teams didn’t have to scramble to cope with my absence. The company didn’t incur losses, nor did I. 

My company’s applications for remote collaborations, such as MS Teams and Outlook, are installed on my phone, so, I can reply to work-related messages and check my emails wherever I am.  

I have friends who work on-site yet are given the remote option. If they face difficulties going to the office, especially due to bad weather and transportation issues, their employers allow them to work from home. If they are down with the flu but still feel fit enough to work, they simply work from home rather than calling in sick or going to the office and risk infecting their colleagues; this allows them to maintain their productivity. In hybrid work, employees work a few days in the office and the rest of the workdays at home or remotely. 

Meanwhile, digital nomads travel and work in tandem, leveraging the internet and related collaborative technologies; this work mode is gaining popularity among young workers. This growing breed of employees from remote-first and remote-friendly companies work from coffee shops, co-working spaces, and libraries. Other digital nomads on workcations fulfill their wanderlust, carrying their offices in their backpacks.  

According to BBC, the rise of a large, new group of traveling, remote workers is one of the prevailing narratives about a Covid-19-reformed work world. Major travel-industry players are adjusting to this shift. For example, Airbnb offers long-term rentals instead of short-stay accommodations to focus on workcations and getaways. This adjustment has been made to support the remote work shift, believing that more people will work from beach cottages, forest cabins, and suburban houses, not just their homes.  

In the company statement, Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky said, “The lines between travel, living, and working are blurring.” This statement cannot be further from the truth. Although remote work started as a work-from-home alternative when the microscopic COVID-19 virus raged like invisible triffids, terrorizing humanity, it’s rapidly becoming a work-from-anywhere option in the post-pandemic phase. 

Myth #2 

Remote work is not as challenging as on-site work. 

It’s true that I can have a relaxing siesta after my lunch break and get back to work again because I work remotely. But I do not have it easier than office workers.  

Yes, remote work allows flexible schedules and saves time. However, there are still deadlines, tasks requiring immediate completion, client demands, and meetings to attend. Remote work is a real job that is as demanding as on-site work. Despite hiring PWDs and others from disadvantaged communities, quality of work is paramount for Genashtim – there is no compromise on the output quality. The company’s culture is based on stellar employee performances and a growth mindset. Clients do not know that their service providers are PWDs, and we don’t divulge it either. PWD workers are as competent and resourceful as able-bodied workers, and remote workers have the same responsibilities as on-site workers. 

Just as the “work for the home” done overwhelmingly by women is invisible, “work-from-home” faces more of a similar fate. So, people tend to dismiss work-from-home as “not that hard.” This is simply untrue. 

Managers who are used to looking over the shoulders of their subordinates to check on their work progress on-site now must believe that their subordinates are working as required behind the screens. So, remote workers often work harder than their on-site counterparts to prove themselves and establish trust with their managers and colleagues.  

Remote workers have higher self-motivation and self-discipline because they are significantly more self-reliant than on-site workers. Additionally, remote workers are more autonomous and self-directed, which requires more effort, resourcefulness, effective time management, conscientiousness, and dynamism. 

Myth #3 

Remote work is infinitely flexible. 

Indeed, remote work allows me to take breaks during bouts of writer’s block, napping, snacking, and when I am under the weather. Besides, I am location independent. But I still have working hours and they’re stated on my MS Teams’ status. 

I also have a workday schedule and I stick to it, albeit not rigidly because working with colleagues from different time zones means adjusting my work schedules to accommodate them. I cannot attend scheduled meetings “later” or “when I feel like it” or delay tasks requiring urgent attention and immediate completion. Presenteeism and professional ethics matter in remote work too. 

Before I log out, I ensure that all my tasks are arranged and completed, preparing for the ensuing workday. Effective time management is indispensable in remote work. 

Some remote jobs require specific hours or may have tight deadlines requiring a more rigid schedule. For example, Genashtim’s IT department, Abled Online, is on duty 24/7. The IT technicians are required to respond promptly, so they should be on standby while on duty. 

Myth #4 

Remote workers are perpetually lonely and anxious. 

Working with colleagues and interacting virtually via the computer screen can engender feelings of isolation, especially for those who are used to working in an office with opportunities for physical socialization with colleagues. Social butterflies can even find remote work depressing. 

While there is no replacement for physical interactions, there are many ways to stay connected and maintain a sense of community in the remote work realm. 

As a remote company, Genashtim holds G-Tribe meetings where interdepartmental employees socialize with each other. Intermittent team and departmental virtual coffee sessions are also held where fun, get-to-know activities are facilitated. 

These virtual interactions within the company don’t only combat isolation and bridge our distances from each other, they also boost camaraderie, allow casual, non-work-related conversations, and keep tabs on employees’ issues at work and in their personal lives.  

Genashtim’s employees are on every continent except Antarctica. Naturally, multiculturalism exists, and we share each other’s cultural norms during the virtual sessions and information about our childhood, how we grew as a person, and our likes and dislikes. This way, we celebrate our similarities and bask in our diversity. 

Personally, I’ve grown to understand my colleagues better through the “water cooler conversations” we had in these regular virtual meetings that often extend after the meetings are over. Although I have yet to meet them in person, and when I finally do, I will not feel awkward or anxious; I’ll just be excited to meet them, whom I know so much about. 

Myth #5 

Remote workers are inefficient communicators. 

The distances involved in the work of a remote employee may have caused this misconception. However, with the advent of communication technology and collaboration tools, remote workers communicate seamlessly, bridging communication gaps. 

Remote workers are even sometimes guilty of overcommunication. Overcommunication per se means massed repetition, referring to the process of communicating the same message many times in a single location or span of time. In remote work, overcommunication is used intransitively, whereby remote managers and virtual teams deliberately communicate more than required, using various applications and tools to emphasize important information. This is so that nothing is overlooked or missed. 

An example of overcommunication at work that I do is sharing my WhatsApp number with my department on MS Teams before going on leave. I do this despite having my WhatsApp number in my MS Teams status. Additionally, I often message my colleagues on MS Teams that I have emailed them a task, especially when the task is urgent and sent with high importance.  

The aforementioned communication I do through email and MS Teams is “asynchronous communication.” Asynchronous communication is a method of communication where messages are sent and received at different times without requiring both parties to be present and available simultaneously. It’s opposed to synchronous communication, where both parties must be present and available simultaneously to communicate.  

Fun fact: Asynchronous communication cannot be separated from remote work.  

The main advantage of asynchronous communication in remote work is its ability to “retain and revisit” information. Unless the sender deletes the message, the information stays. If I need more clarity, all I need to do is scroll up to find the message. I needn’t ask my colleague again. This may sound paradoxical to overcommunication, but it’s needs-based. 

I can reply to my colleagues later with asynchronous communication, provided no immediate response is necessary. My colleagues walk a mile in my shoes as well. Asynchronous communication also allows me to work without interruptions – I get more work done this way and avoid working haphazardly. 

Myth #6 

Remote work is only for certain types of jobs. 

What if I say that sectors thought only physically possible are already going remote, with humans manning operations remotely? 

AI is now being used for agriculture. It observes the soil conditions, temperature, water and fertilizer administration, and crop growth stages and administers the actions that off-site farmers prompt and supervise. One of the companies trailblazing remote agriculture, Agworld is immersed in the preferred independent farm information management ecosystem. 

According to the Malaysian Investment Development Authority, MIDA, telemedicine connects doctors and patients on a secured online platform for remote health-related services such as monitoring, advice, and education. This approach is promised to be a forerunner of the future of medicine and plays a key role in making state-of-the-art healthcare more accessible without waiting hours in queues for a physical appointment. 

While some jobs may be better suited to remote work than others, there are few jobs that can’t be done remotely with the right tools and technology. In the future, industries like sanitation, construction, real estate, and others will offer more remote positions.  

In conclusion, remote work has proven to be a viable and effective option for many organizations and employees, despite the common myths and misconceptions surrounding it. With proper communication, management, and technology, remote work can benefit both employers and employees. 

JEDI Jobs is an online remote work platform that focuses on recruiting workers from disadvantaged backgrounds such as PWDs, refugees, retirees, people with comorbidities, single mothers, women from oppressed environments, the LGBTQAI community, and more. Join the remote revolution by registering with JEDI Jobs here to acquire renewed independence and a sense of self, rising to the remote occasion.  

Written by Hema Krishnan for JEDI Jobs. 

Disclaimer: The opinions and views expressed on this article are solely the author’s and do not reflect the opinions and beliefs of Genashtim Pte Ltd, JEDI Jobs or its affiliates.