We know that remote work modality has been one of the least used work forms in Spain before the health crisis of covid19, which has left several lessons for posterity.

There is no specific rule that regulates remote workers (not yet), but their where a few allusions about the equal rights and obligations of employees who work in this format.

We also know that it has been like a lifeboat, but at the end, it worked!

Now, due to this mandatory, we have realized that, as an alternative, in many circumstances, it is not so bad after all.

Even so, we are still reluctant to normalize this modality, but why?

Myths about remote work

1. You are in your pajamas

Lets begin with rule number 1.

You have to take off your pajamas, and if it's possible, also your slippers.

If you are not one of those who read some articles before trying something new (this would be one of the first tips people would give you). If you wear pajamas, you will notice that you are uncomfortable or you will feel strangely dressed 24/7 the same and apathetic way, without motivation...

2. More hours are worked

your working hours are the same. Certainly there are flexibility if you work from home. If we are distracted by other things, it is normal that the day is extended.

For example. If your usual start time was at 8am, but you start at 10.30am i, it is logical that between lunch stops and interruptions (work or personal) and that little bit that you already stayed in the office to finish something specific, you finish beyond 7pm. Day after day, this affects.

So, set a routine. Extrapolate the one you had in the office. It is not possible to reproduce the routine exactly the same, but if you work longer hours, ask yourself why it really is.

3. We are multitasking at home

No, if you work your time in blocks and in the middle of blocks, you are not tempted to put activities that correspond to another block of time.

4. Low productivity

Remote work does not occur in the same circumstances for everyone. But it has been shown that not only does it not go down, it increases and being responsible is the main premise for it to happen.

6. Not really reconcile

Apart from the circumstances that have marked our lives in 2020, if one opts for the telework modality, in many cases, it is for reasons of conciliation: taking and bringing children to school, taking care of them in their early years, bringing grandfather to your review, do not travel 60 km. every day to go to work ... I return to the importance of working in blocks and make the day more flexible to adapt it to those moments where it is possible to work.

7. Social contact is lost, which is necessary

It is lost only if you decide to isolate yourself and not maintain contact with colleagues by phone, chat or video calls.

In the digital age, who loses contact is because they want to, since in work environments feedback and teamwork are the daily bread, and will we have to talk to colleagues? If your head still says "no," here is a problem, really.

On the other hand, from the HR areas of the companies, they have promoted the flow of employee-team-company information. For example, requesting daily or weekly task reports. This motivates to put the batteries, if they were at half gas.

8. Requires complicated, expensive or unsafe technological measures

This already falls off under its own weight.

There are so many online applications to be able to remote work that the difficult thing is to choose one or more, because it will require a chat, email, videoconference, task manager, documents...

In our case, with Laycos in the company we have been able to telework overnight without great deployments, because everything we need to work was already in Laycos.

This blog was originally written by Guayarmina Peña.