Remote work: Most common questions and the best tools

What is remote working?

When many people think of “remote working” they automatically think of working from home, but remote working is so much more than that. “Remote working” can refer to any work that takes place off the company premises. This can be the home but also in a coworking space, a train compartment or at the beach bar. Those who would like to work remotely complete their tasks digitally and communicate with the company, the client or other team members via computer or smartphone.
That’s why people often talk about “digital work”. Other terms used in this context include e-work, telecommuting, or location-independent work. If someone works partly in the office and partly from other locations, we may also refer to it as a hybrid work model.

“Hybrid” means “mixed” and can also refer to individual meetings. A hybrid meeting is a meeting in which some employees are physically present in a room and others are digitally connected.

What are the benefits of remote working?

The most important word here is “flexibility.” Remote working makes working more flexible! Instead of driving the same way to the office every day, a remote worker is free to choose where they work from. At home at your desk? In the coworking space around the corner? Or at your favorite coffee shop? In most cases, all that is needed is electricity and an internet connection. Location-independent working is also often combined with flexitime arrangements, so that working hours can also be tailored to individual needs.
If an employee’s chosen place for remote working is their own workspace in or close to their home, this will reduce commuting time and the costs associated with it.

So a key benefit of remote working is always time and cost savings. The ecological footprint is also smaller due to fewer trips to the workplace. For companies, remote working means spending less money on expensive office space. Not to mention the fact that they can collaborate with people who live in different places – often even on far-flung continents. This makes it much easier for them to assemble a competent, international team.

Incidentally, studies show that employees who can work remotely are happier and more productive. In other words, there are plenty of really compelling reasons to work remotely!

What software do I need for remote working?

Collaborative work thrives on exchange – but conference tables, coffee and cookies are not absolutely essential for this! This is what you need instead: a secure software for audio or video conferencing. A digital calendar so that appointments can be coordinated with ease. And a chat tool that enables quick coordination.
Software solutions that facilitate digital collaboration also include project management tools in which all tasks involving deadline dates can be noted and specifically allocated. Automatic reminders ensure that colleagues or teams can keep track of their to-dos.
Beyond that, companies with remote workers should use cloud-based file management tools that allow files to be stored, shared and edited centrally. Many programs can make edits visible and allow comments or questions to be addressed directly to the correct recipients using the @ sign.
We have compiled an overview of the most important tools for you below.

How secure is remote working?

If you want to make remote working safe, you should consider a few points. It starts with very mundane hints… Employees should, for instance, set their devices so that screens are locked after only a short period of inactivity.
As a general rule, computers and other devices that use remote workers should be password protected, and two-factor authorization should be set for all applications. We at codafish also rely on innovative software solutions such as those from Zoho. Zoho stores all data in a failsafe cloud infrastructure. We will be happy to advise you if you want to open up your company for remote working and keep it well secured at the same time.