Remote Work in Nigeria: What You Should Know

Responding to emails while wearing your pyjamas and attending meetings without leaving the comfort of your home, are some of the images that pop up when you think about remote work. But here’s the thing; there’s more to it. And some are not even remotely cute (pun intended).

In this post, I’ll be highlighting the benefits and challenges of working remotely. As a bonus, I’ll be sharing some tips and work from home jobs you should definitely try out.

What is Remote Work?

Remote work is a work approach that allows employees to carry out their daily tasks and job roles outside of the regular office setting. What this means is that you can work from anywhere or wherever you’d prefer. It could be from home, a cafe, work station, or a co-working space.

Benefits of Remote Work

Looking to switch to a remote work style? Here are some of the benefits of working remotely for both employees and employers;

1. It saves cost

Costs for maintaining a traditional office can be quite expensive. From rent, electricity, running water to general office supplies, having employees who work remotely significantly reduces the budget set aside for these operational costs. As an employer, this can help you channel resources to other areas of your business.

2. Flexibility

When working remotely, you’re in charge of your daily schedule and how you execute your tasks. Since you don’t have to be physically present at the office, you can clear out your tasks for the day on time to meet up with say a doctor’s appointment.

You can also choose to wake up extra early if you are an early bird or drop off your kids in school. If you’d like to advance in your academics like going for a master’s degree, you can attend your classes since you no longer have to commute. It’s easy to create a work-life balance.

3. Increased productivity

When there is no physical accountability, employees who work remote tend to put in extra effort in meeting up with their key performance indicators. As an employer, you get workers who are dedicated to contributing their best as opposed to the regular attendance associated with the traditional work style.

For employees, since you know when you’re most productive, it’s easier to thoroughly utilize these moments rather than getting exhausted from commuting or spending the time interrupted by small talk.

Challenges of Working Remotely

Does this sound like the perfect work style for you? Maybe hold off on that thought for a while and check out some of the challenges associated with working remotely.

1. Inadequate human interaction

When you stare at your screen for the better part of the day and you hop from meetings to meetings, fatigue can set in. In the traditional work setting, there’s the occasional bumping into colleagues during lunch break and regular office banter. However, when you’re remote, you tend to find yourself talking to your house plants and pets especially when you don’t have family members or friends living in with you.

2. Communication lag

Can you hear me? Can you see my screen? Yeah you’ll be having a lot of this. Sometimes telecommunication providers can offer shitty services. There’s also the need for stable wifi and electricity else you get cut-off from important meetings or delay in completing your tasks. Also, when communication is asynchronous, misunderstandings can arise and you end up having long threads explaining an issue that could be avoided with a handshake.

Work from Home Jobs

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Five Tips for Working Remotely

When working remotely, the lines can easily get blurry. Ranging from the impending cabin fever to the tendency to over-compensate. Here are a few tips that can help you be effective whilst maintaining your work life balance.

1. Always work with a schedule. It’ll help you have clearly defined work hours
2. Take intermittent breaks especially during work sprints. A clear head always makes you more productive.
3. Occasionally leave the house to work from a cafe so you can meet new people
4. Get quality devices and service providers to make your remote experience free from communication lags
5. Set boundaries for your family members and housemates, so they don’t interrupt your workflow.

And that’s it for today. So do you still prefer the traditional work style or will you be switching to remote? Let us know your response by using any of the social icons on this page.

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