Full-Time Remote Workers Struggle Most with Unplugging After Work Hours

According to a Remote.co survey of 200 full-time remote workers, unplugging after work hours is the biggest pain point they encounter when working in their virtual environment (40%).

The survey, conducted in September and October of 2019, found that other challenges for remote workers include dealing with non-work distractions (32%), developing strong relationships with coworkers (25%), loneliness (23%), troubleshooting technology problems (21%), and working across different time zones (19%).

Despite some of the downsides of remote work, remote workers tend to be more productive, happier, and more engaged at their jobs. And, good news! Remote work is on the rise, having increased 91% in the last 10 years.

Key Findings from the 2019 Remote.co Remote Worker Survey

Full-time remote workers say that the remote work lifestyle is extremely important to them: 

• 83% say they couldn’t imagine returning to an on-site office.
• 16% say that the remote work lifestyle is somewhat important to them.
• Only 1% say it would not be a big deal to give it up.
• 38% worked remotely more this year compared to last year, and 55% worked remotely the same amount this year as last year.

Remote workers have different views on career progression and how many people they think work remotely:

• Only 5% worry a lot that working remotely will negatively impact their career progression.
• While 43% report that they feel a lot of people work remotely, 51% say they think very few do it.

Survey respondents offered a snapshot of what the day-to-day life of a remote worker involves:

• 94% of remote workers work primarily from their home offices (vs. coworking spaces, libraries, or coffee shops).
• 46% never have to travel for work-related events, 32% travel one or two times a year, 13% travel three to four times a year, and 9% travel five times or more each year.
• 59% say working from home is very or somewhat conducive to developing meaningful relationships with coworkers.
• 13% of full-time remote workers plan to take more than four weeks of vacation this year.

To help remote workers unplug after work, Remote.co has outlined seven strategies to consider:

1. Set expectations regarding your availability.
2. Schedule regular blocks of time away in your calendar.
3. Have an accountability partner.
4. Embrace your hobbies.
5. Tackle your biggest or most urgent to-dos sans tech.
6. Have a contingency plan in place.
7. Focus on being present for those around you.

So, while unplugging from work when you work from home can be tricky, coming up with a few strategies to help you “turn off” can go a long way in finding a better balance between your job and your life.

LEARN MORE ABOUT UNPLUGGING AS A REMOTE WORKER >

Photo Credit: bigstockphoto.com

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By Brie Reynolds | Categories: Work Remotely

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