Remote Working VS. Working in the Office

11/15/2021 | By Marella Gimenez

Because of the pandemic, the traditional workplace environment has changed due to the restrictions imposed towards companies, business enterprises, and even employees. It is no surprise to anyone that office work needed more flexibility.

With this, different business managers have been looking into workspace alternatives that meet innovation and productivity without sacrificing the safety of workers. Thanks to technology, performance management, and collaboration of like-minded employers, the concept of remote working has become more popular especially in today’s time.

Shifting Patterns Towards Remote Working

In the current time, the pandemic has given people a harder time to do things that were traditional and typical before. Take for example, commuting to go to an office, setting meetings with clients in coffee shops, conducting team building activities in coworking spots, and many more. Definitely, with the current set-up of most cities, employees are required to abide by certain restrictions such as curfew, vehicle capacities, and the risk of getting infected with the current virus that’s spreading all around.

Due to these circumstances, employee welfare is a big concern. More than this, the increasing costs of companies and even small business owners made it a potential choice for working remotely to be considered even more. In a pre-pandemic set-up, there are a lot of benefits that can be offered to employees. However, now that a lot of employers are trying to make ends meet, being flexible is needed.

To ensure the safety of workers and employees, working physically is something that has been avoided by most people recently. There really just is a lot at stake in putting one’s workforce at risk. More than just being able to have good performance, good leadership in the workplace also involves being flexible in terms of the changes that have to be made.

These changes may involve leaders having to make big decisions regarding companies’ protocols, changing means of communication for safer working conditions, and most importantly, changing the working environment from face to face, to something safer.

KMC Solutions has always given their own workforce the flexibility and freedom of choosing between multiple setups regarding the way they want to work. Through adapting a hybrid work setup, their workforce has the option to not only work from home or their headquarters, but work nearer to home as well through their multiple workspace locations around the metro. This has further enabled their workers to lead a flexible lifestyle while still reaping the benefits of increased productivity.

What is Remote Working?

Although remote working has been around for awhile, it’s been pretty popular recently because of the increasing number of business leaders choosing this type of approach when it comes to team management.

Before the pandemic started, remote set-ups had already been existing. Examples of these would be freelancers, online consultations, proofreaders, and other lines of work that are a little bit more individualistic and technology-dependent. Unlike other people or companies, there are some occupations that only require stable internet connection and a gadget to be able to get tasks done. However, we know that not all lines of work operate like this.

In a pre-pandemic set-up, we know of a lot of occupations that involve lots of team communication, physical interaction & collaboration, and coworking routines to achieve stellar performance and work-life balance. However, the dangers of going outside forced almost everyone to change such lifestyles.

Luckily, some companies were able to adapt and survive by changing systems and approaches to operations which enabled them to continue working even in a pandemic. With business workers undergoing various changes, remote working allowed for innovation to flourish and leadership in teams to shine.

Although it may have taken a while for other companies or business owners who aren’t as skilled in technology compared to others, employee skill sets definitely improved to ensure survival.

In a nutshell, remote working describes the workplace set-up that does not require colleagues to meet up with each other physically. This set-up promotes flexibility, innovation, and stronger communication for tasks to be done together but individually in employee’s homes or shelters. The remote work set-up practices more virtualized interactions through applications, video conferencing softwares, productivity tools, and many more to get the goals of a business achieved.

While proven to be effective for some contexts, it is an innovation and adjustment that most companies and organizations are looking into. This could probably be in the next few years or so, given that face to face interactions aren't as encouraged yet in the pandemic era.

Remote Working vs. Working in the Office

However, given that remote working is still a fairly new idea for some compared to the traditional way of working in the office, it would still be great to know the advantages and disadvantages of experiencing both. Let’s get to it!

Surely, both set-ups have their own fair share of pros and cons given the nature of the workplace environment as well as the expected demands of certain occupations. But regardless, understanding how to weigh both sides can help confused employees and employers decide better in the long run.

Remote Working

As remote working increases in popularity across the world, so does the demand for flexible workplace solutions that provide remote workers with the same tools they need to be productive while away from their own offices. By coming up with a new hybrid work setup that blends together the advantages of remote and onsite work, companies are able to give better flexible options for their workforce to choose from. This lets them choose a setup that suits their preferred work style, further ramping up their productivity and employee satisfaction.

Why choose this?

1. Avoid the hassle of commuting and extra in-between snacks.
One thing agreeable about remote work is that you don’t need to commute to a physical office anymore, wait in long lines, get stuck in traffic, and have extra costs because of too much snacking or eating in-between meetings or events.

Many would say that this is one of the good things that remote working has brought to them and although there are other aspects that the costs may have increased, on a more daily basis, costs aren’t as big as they used to be.

If you’re feeling hungry? Just head over to the kitchen and munch on some groceries or leftovers from last night’s dinner! You also won’t have to worry about looking sweaty in your video meetings because you’re just at home!

2. Traveling from meeting to meeting won’t take long.
For those who love getting those bursts of productivity, remote working allows you to have more meetings in a day because there’s no need to physically travel from place to place or room to room. There’s no need to worry about getting stuck in traffic or even in an elevator, because in just a few clicks, you’re off to your next call!

Some would say though that this can also take a toll on one’s mental health because boundaries are hard to see in a virtual set-up. So it’s better to also watch out for oneself when saying yes to all of these meetings because although it’s easier, your mental capacity also needs to be in good shape to function well in all of these meetings!

3. Stay in or near the comfort of your own home & loved ones.
Ever felt bad because you couldn’t spend time with your loved ones back when work was physical? This is never a problem when working remotely because you can work in the comfort of your homes and catch your loved ones from time to time.

Many employees complain that when they get home, family members are usually asleep already and this limits their family and personal time. However, it can also become a distraction or nuisance whenever there are family activities happening in the background while you’re in a video meeting! So not to worry because pacing, scheduling, and expectation setting spaces are just some of the tips to avoid turning this advantage into a disadvantage in a remote set-up.

Working in the Office

Working in a professional environment and workspace has long had its advantages regarding collaboration and setting up work-life boundaries. By having a proper office space, workers are able to more clearly distinguish between their work and personal lives, as well as dedicate a designated space outside of their homes where they can do their work. Aside from flexible workspaces, KMC offers more traditional office spaces like this as well through their private office service that comes fully equipped and furnished.

Why choose this?

1. Nothing beats physical human interaction.
As much as we’d want to deny it, there’s also merit in being able to physically communicate with people in a physical set-up. There can really be some misunderstandings and misinterpretation when the context isn’t as full in remote set-up, and this is something that can be avoided if things were physical.

Some say that it can also get lonely at times so working in an office with people can actually be helpful in some ways.

2. Appropriate working environment.
Experiences of working from home often involve having construction noises in the background or not having the right resources for a good working environment. And this is something that can be avoidable when working in an office.

3. Exposure to more practical experiences.
Although things can be challenging, there is also merit in being able to have that fair share of practical experiences in a physical work set-up. This can include challenging customers, operational lapses, meeting deadlines, and other things. Practical experiences can often have a different nature when resolved physically compared to in a virtual environment.

Best of Both Worlds: Physical but remote?

Now that we’ve established the advantages of both set-ups, you might be wondering if there’s any possible way for these two to be combined?

You’re in luck because innovators in the industry like KMC Solutions have developed private workspaces through the KMC’s HQ • HUB • HOME services where people can have coworking spaces all to themselves. This fuses the idea of working remotely, far away from other people and strangers, but also having that ambiance that allows you to be productive physically.

Because of the pandemic, services like these have been developed to help those who might not have the space at home to achieve and perform well without sacrificing quality. With this set0up that encourages work-life balance, employees can have a safe space for themselves and their colleagues.