According to the "State of Remote Work 2021" study conducted by Owl Labs, 46% of the people surveyed were willing to accept a salary cut of up to 5% for the opportunity to work remotely on a full-time basis. These figures indicate that remote work is here to stay!

Since the 2020 pandemic, many professionals have been forced to work from home and have noticed the comfort of attending meetings in slippers, or being able to adapt work schedules to family needs.

According to the IT Labor Market Report 2022, 90.9% of people working in technology want to be more flexible and perform their tasks from home. Argentina is no exception. According to the study conducted jointly by Microsoft Argentina and the University of San Andrés, 77% prefer to work in a hybrid way and 18% choose to work completely virtually.

Similarly, an increasing number of organizations are moving to fully remote work models. The report published in 2022 by HRStudy indicated that 40% of small, medium-sized and large companies in Latin America prefer this modality.

In this article we will tell you what remote work is, and its advantages for freelancers and company managers. We will also talk about its disadvantages and finally, we will tell you what we do at XOOR to overcome the obstacles that are presented with this type of work.

In this article:

At XOOR we understand that the main difficulties of remote work involve building a sense of belonging, achieving a cultural fit and generating a good working environment. One of the biggest challenges when we work remotely is to build good communication habits, avoiding misunderstandings, and to help our team members fulfill their responsibilities.

To overcome each of these obstacles, we implement concrete actions that, although they have shown very good results, we continually monitor them to see if we can improve them.

Regarding aspects related to the working environment and building a sense of belonging, we have been carrying out three specific strategies. The first strategy is called "Selfie Fridays", which initially involved taking a photo every Friday at 3 p.m. This practice has evolved to include sharing images related to specific themes, such as our first day of school, favorite childhood cartoon, or a picture from our last vacation.

By encouraging team members to share photos and stories, "Selfie Fridays" provides an opportunity to get to know each other on a more personal level, and can help to build trust within the team.

The second initiative is "After-Work meetings". These are activities within working hours intended to bring us together virtually to participate in a game. Sometimes there are prizes for those who win, other times we all are sent by delivery something delicious to enjoy that afternoon while we participate in the event. If you want to know more about this activity you can click here.

We also hold "Recreational Face-to-Face Meetings". Currently there are 3 important events where we meet to hug each other: XOOR's birthday, the year-end party and the leaders' retreat. For the first two, all the people who make up the company get together in a city to share a meal, play, dance, participate in raffles, a tournament and in some cases there may be a private show.

For the leaders' retreat, those who lead the different areas of the company meet during a weekend to work on aspects to improve, exchange successes and obstacles, and strengthen the group. In addition, we dedicate a special moment to reinforce our values so that they can then replicate them on a daily basis with their teams.

In terms of enhancing communication, we focus on organizing conversational channels, providing specific spaces for projects and tasks, and other channels for more relaxed conversations. In turn, we hold daily, weekly, monthly and quarterly meetings with the whole team, with part of it, between peers, and leaders. Moments of interaction are scheduled, either for purely work-related issues, or to give and receive feedback, or to get an idea about the team's feelings and thoughts.

In those meetings, we analyze whether each collaborator has achieved their goals, if they exceeded them or not. Also, we actively listen to their demands and needs, and work together to come up with strategies that will help meet deadlines and continue to increase performance and productivity.

Remote work, also known as telecommuting or teleworking, is a flexible work arrangement where team members can perform their tasks from any location. Whether it's from home, a cafe, an office, or a coworking space, remote work allows individuals to work from anywhere in the world.

While remote work was once confined to the technology industry, it has now expanded to other fields. Newspaper and editorial offices, accounting and legal service providers, marketing and advertising companies, and even real estate agencies are increasingly adopting this flexible work model.

If you've made it this far, you may be wondering: how can I get a remote job? With more and more companies adopting this flexible model, there are plenty of remote work opportunities out there. The ideal way is to start searching online, on platforms like LinkedIn, Workana, Freelancer, and specialized websites like Zonajobs or Upwork. There are numerous options available, some of which focus on specific fields such as design or software development.

To increase your chances of finding remote job offers, it's essential to keep in mind which roles are currently in demand. Some of the most wanted remote jobs worldwide include Frontend, Backend, and Full-Stack development, DevOps, UX/UI design, digital strategy, and product management.

It's also a good idea to identify the highest paying remote jobs. Currently, programming ranks at the top of the list, but it's also worth paying attention to the emerging field of artificial intelligence. As this technology advances, it will likely generate new positions in the near future, creating a high demand for skilled professionals.

Remote jobs are often an excellent option for freelancers and independent professionals who don't work under an employment contract. Some of the remote work benefits are:

It is important to mention that all people are different and that some will find disadvantages. Especially those who find it difficult to be disciplined, who are easily distracted, or who need to be in contact with other people, as remote work can become very lonely. However, there are mechanisms to overcome these issues, such as time tracking, active breaks, or meeting colleagues at a coworking, a house or cafe.

That is why it is key to analyze the pros and cons of remote work before reaching a decision.

Many business owners or management teams also choose to operate their companies remotely, as it is an excellent option especially for those who are starting out. Some of the advantages are:

It is important to acknowledge that the lack of face-to-face meetings can present a significant obstacle. Without fluid conversations that include body language such as eye contact, smiles, and hand gestures, communication can be negatively impacted. This may lead to confusion or even misunderstandings that can have a detrimental effect on team dynamics.

Some remote workers state that the biggest challenge of not attending an office is setting clear boundaries between work and personal life. It can be difficult to manage to "switch off" and take adequate free time.

Moreover, while remote work offers more autonomy and independence, it also requires self-management and discipline. For people who struggle with being organized or adhering to deadlines, it may be challenging to meet their goals and deliverables.

In some cases, when operating from a remote workplace, it may be more complicated to access the resources and tools needed to perform tasks, which can affect quality and productivity.

If this article provided you with valuable information, we invite you to share it with colleagues and to read other blog posts. You can also follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Linkedin to learn more about XOOR and subscribe to our Youtube channel to access our workshops.