Working five days a week for eight hours becomes a routine that—despite everything—is difficult for us to get used to. Imagine, however, that it is possible to work while sleeping until noon, and suddenly you realize that you can easily throw your alarm clock in the trash. Can you guess what form of work we are talking about? Exactly! It is, of course, remote work!

What is remote work?

Remote work is simply a form of work carried out without the obligation to visit the company’s headquarters. An employee who works remotely performs their assigned duties, for example, in their own apartment or another suitable location. This type of cooperation is most often governed by civil-law contracts or contracts for specific work.

Not every type of cooperation can be carried out remotely, which is why remote work most often accompanies occupations that require only access to a computer and a reliable internet connection. Remote work is therefore ideal for professions such as copywriter, graphic designer or translator.

Types of remote work

Other names for remote work include telework and e-work. This is because tasks assigned by an employer are most often sent by email, although contact is also possible using all kinds of instant-messaging applications.

There are two conventional types of remote work—regular and occasional. In the first case, working hours are usually fixed. In the second, remote work is performed because of an unexpected circumstance that requires the employee to be present at home.

Additionally, three basic categories of remote work are distinguished according to the amount of time an employee works outside the company’s headquarters. In the first case, it is permanent work, meaning that the employee performs all assigned tasks outside the company’s premises. Alternating work is characterized by being performed alternately at home or in the office. Supplementary work, on the other hand, requires the employee to be present at the headquarters, but in exceptional cases allows some duties to be performed outside the company.

Advantages of remote work

The possibility of working from home has many advantages that employees working full-time dream of. Employers who offer this type of work also receive many benefits! Why is it worth looking for employment in your own home?

  • Convenient—Let’s not kid ourselves: this is the greatest advantage of remote work. It does not require us to leave home, sit in kilometer-long traffic jams, endure long and frustrating commutes, or be present at the company at a specific time. Remote workers can perform their duties both at seven in the morning and during the late-night hours. They can work at home or anywhere else that is convenient, saving a great deal of valuable time in the process.
  • Inexpensive—Working from home saves not only time but also money—instead of buying yet another costly ready-made meal at a cafeteria or fast-food restaurant, we can calmly cook something in our own apartment. Employees working at headquarters and in all kinds of offices spend a fortune each month in places like these! Apart from food-related expenses, we also save a great deal of money on fuel for the car or even on a public-transport pass.
  • Well-paid—Remote work sometimes goes hand in hand with higher pay, which often results from the fact that the employer saves considerably by not having to pay for additional workspace or equipment that would have to be provided to a full-time employee. However, this is not a requirement—in this case, the decision rests solely with the employer.
  • Private life—An undeniable advantage of remote work is the ability to maintain the so-called “work-life balance,” that is, a balance between professional and personal life. Hours spent at the company’s headquarters, away from home and family, do not benefit interpersonal relationships. Working from home makes it possible to strengthen family bonds and spend long hours with loved ones.

If you are an employer or an employee, or perhaps you simply work on many projects and want to learn more about how to navigate this way of working and perhaps delegating tasks as well, we have an interesting solution for you—check out project management training on the Valkir.pl website. There you will learn about tools, methods and essential practices that will help you plan and implement only the best solutions.

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