This Is the Worst Factor About Working From House and It Is not Getting Higher. Do This As an alternative

We are probably at the point where we should realize that working remotely is no longer a trend. Seven months after a global pandemic, many companies have realized that we will just work that way – in some cases forever.

There is one problem, however.

Too often we confuse remote working with working from home. The two are not the same. It’s not just semantics either. The words we use and the way we talk about things matter. It communicates what we value, and using wrong words can not only create confusion but also devalue your team members and the way they work.

Working from home is a temporary thing that you do every now and then. This means that you can do the work you normally do at your desk in your office from home for a day or two. In many companies, you work from home on Thursdays because you don’t have meetings. So, you believe that the presentation you are working on will catch up with you without a colleague walking past your desk.

Regardless of the circumstances, working from home is usually a temporary affair. It might even be a benefit that your company gives you for a change of scene.

Remote work, however, is different. It’s not just a circumstance, it’s a way of working. When working remotely, you have no desk anywhere in your company’s office. Instead, you will likely be responsible for providing your own desk in your own work area, usually somewhere in your own home.

When you work from home, you are still using the tools and technology your company has made available to you. Just log into your own internet connection. It’s okay if you don’t have everything you need at home because you’ll be going back to the office tomorrow anyway.

This is not the case when working remotely and requires a completely different set of tools and systems. Often times, you have to build your own systems and the place you work gets a lot more attention as it is likely what your coworkers see every time you log into Zoom. Don’t underestimate the level of stress that comes with having the perfect background – or at least one that isn’t overcrowded with toys, laundry, and pets. Or, as we call it at home, real life.

It also means having other skills. Setting your calendar and agenda for the day is different when you work remotely. Productivity and accountability also look different. It’s time we treated them like that.

Not only that, a lot of people still think remote working is a temporary thing that we do until we get back to the office. If you’re leading a team that is currently working remotely, this is a very real problem as it ignores the fact that many people on your team may not be excited, if at all, about going back to the office soon.

Instead, it is time to create a plan that will help your team work in the way that best suits your business needs and the circumstances at hand. Well, like I said, it’s actually over, but it’s better late than never.

By the way, if you want to learn more, I’ll be hosting a workshop on Friday for the Inc. 5000 Vision conference on leading great remote teams. Be sure to visit configuration.inc.com to get your pass and join me.

The opinions expressed by Inc.com columnists here are their own, not those of Inc.com.