5 reasons remote work may not be right for you

While the rise of telecommuting has been hailed as one of the more positive outcomes of the pandemic, for many workers embracing this new way of working has not been challenging.

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Three years later, the autonomy that telecommuting provides has lost its luster. According to recent data collected by WorkBuzz, 18% of workers feel less engaged than they did in 2019, and HR professionals’ top concern is now based on improving employee engagement and experience (44%), followed by attracting new talent (41%) and retain existing talent (35%). There are other factors as well, which we explore below.

1. Reduced human connection

Hybrid workers often feel disconnected from their colleagues and the company they work for. That’s because offering workplace flexibility isn’t the only factor in keeping employees engaged and fulfilled in their current role.

A lack of connection also means your work can suffer – the data also found that not regularly connecting with your team can result in less collaboration and less efficient results, even if you work the same or longer hours from home.

2. Productivity theatre

The anxiety of always appearing “on” is one of the perils of remote work, especially if your manager leans into the micro and not the macro, and this can have a detrimental effect on many fronts.

Yes, telecommuting can help create a better work-life balance, but only if this attitude comes from the top down. Otherwise, employees may feel increased pressure to respond to emails the moment they ping into their inbox, always be available for video calls, and be able to provide ongoing reports right away.

3. Lack of learning

Learning and development, either through organized courses or guidance at work, is an essential part of career development. Although organized courses can be offered virtually, nothing beats an in-house session where peers can connect, share their knowledge and learn from each other. And for younger employees looking to get a foot on the first rung of the career ladder, telecommuting can often prevent them from getting the support and guidance they need, especially when it comes to developing soft skills.

4. A two-tier culture

If half of your colleagues work in the office for part of the week and you work remotely all the time, proximity bias can occur if left unchecked. This means that remote workers do not have the same opportunities as those who see their managers face to face on a regular basis. And if organizations don’t address the problem, a two-tier culture can form, leaving remote workers out of the loop, personally and professionally.

5. Mental health challenges

Working from home can increase feelings of isolation and have an impact on your mental health, especially if you’re an extrovert and feel more energized when you’re around more people. Data from Nuffield Health shows that 80% of UK workers feel that working from home has a negative impact on their mental health, and 30% find it difficult to cope with the mental challenge of separating home from work.

So if you’re currently struggling to work remotely or prefer a role that mixes the best of both worlds and offers a hybrid structure, it may be time to look for a new opportunity. The Fintech Futures Job Board has hundreds of openings currently hiring, like the three below.

Security Operations Analyst, GoCardless, London

As a security operations analyst, you will provide subject matter expertise on security detection and response capabilities. You will gain experience using SIEM (ideally Splunk) tools to develop security monitoring cases and write scripts to automate tasks. The ideal candidate will also have experience using EDR or IDS/IPS tools and knowledge of cloud security best practices. See more here.

Senior Software Engineer, Crypto Finance Engineering, Ripple, London

As a Senior Software Engineer, you will build the next generation of crypto financial accounting, risk monitoring and P&L optimization services to support Ripple’s global payments business. You will have five years of hands-on software development experience on large-scale deployment systems in Java and experience in at least one framework (node.js, React JS or AngularJS, for example). See the full job specification here.

Accounting Analyst, Financial Operations, Monzo, Cardiff

Reporting to the Finance Manager, the Accounting Analyst will work with the Finance team to ensure a fast month-end closing process, including taking ownership of leases and managing accrual plans, inventory and treasury investments. You will also work with engineers to automate the production elements of this role, which will allow you to focus on the parts of the role where your skills and knowledge add the most value. To be eligible, you need an accountancy qualification and a background in auditing, ideally with experience in financial accounting. Search now.

For more opportunities in finance and technology, visit the Fintech Futures Job Board today.