While remote working with systems such as accounting have had a large number of benefits, without structure, laws, policies and necessary mechanisms in place it also poses challenges such as collegiality, productivity and security within accounting.

But for that, companies must equip themselves with reliable tools and policies that anticipate the scenarios by which remote work unfolds with as much friction as possible. Here’s how.

1. Invest in yourself. Unfortunately, the traditional view in which leaders are depicted as superheroes to defeat situations is still prevalent. However, in today’s complex sociodynamic landscape, solitary acts of courage will be ineffective and even harmful. Leaders living in polarised societies should first and foremost invest in expanding their social circles and building relationships with people who differ from them. This necessitates putting in effort and investing in relationships that go beyond mere niceties; instead, they must engage in dialogue.

2. Foster resilience. At the company level, despite the institutional mechanisms and processes that currently dictate leadership priorities, it is critical for any organisation functioning in polarised and complex societies to cultivate a resilient culture through social actions. These strategies – involving every member of the organisation – must be executed as a collective whole to minimise the extent of potential risks, while fostering adaptability and the capacity to harness emerging opportunities.

3. Embrace every conflict as an opportunity. As polarisation sets in, leaders will confront numerous conflicts along their path. Rather than foretelling an inevitable disaster, each conflict presents an opportunity for leaders to leverage discernment in discovering solutions. They must be purposeful and discerning in selecting the most suitable path for their organisations given the circumstances.

4. Commit to online ethics. Location no longer limits interactions with others, which has been made possible by the constant connectivity of communication mediums. Presently, three in every five internet users engage in social media activities, up from a mere six per cent in 2005, as per the We Are Social report for 2018.

Time Management

In order to be successful in remote culture, there must be time management, which involves prioritization of chores.

Time management requires discipline which we have to exert in order to increase productivity. This proves to be difficult, however, there are strategies that can be implemented to improve time management in remote work environments.

Remote leaders need to know how to foster ‘positive energy’ and collaboration virtually, and there are multiple LinkedIn Learning classes on leading remotely, such as Leading at a Distance and Starting Remote Working.

Asynchronous communication tools are also ways of helping employees to stay in touch with each other over multiple time zones, for example with meetings and deadlines easily set based on one central time zone as the master time that’s automatically converted to local time for each attendee.

Communication

While remote and ‘hybrid’ work arrangements might be a welcome advantage to businesses, the outcomes realised from these approaches can only be maximised if certain complex issues relating to co-ordination, communication, collaboration, monitoring and project management guidelines are well-managed.

In a remote setting, workers can easily miss out on bits of office gossip overheard in the halls or conversations held in the cubicle wall, which can leave some workers feeling left out, unappreciated and eventually can lead to a breakdown in trust among colleagues.

Encouraging a culture of mutual respect is the best way to counteract this: for instance, provide virtual coffee breaks or happy hours where remote employees can meet their in-office employees, or encourage team members to use channels on Slack for watercooler chats so that all staff feel included.

Collaboration

I remember very well the time when we only worked in the office. I, like so many others, preferr to work from home now because home is more relaxing, we spend less money on commuting, and we have a more flexible schedule. On the other hand, working from home also presents its own challenges in relation to communication and collaboration.

members who aren’t in the physical office can also miss out on some of the less formal interactions that take place in a typical office every day, such as talking about the news before a meeting or discussing the weekend at the water cooler.

The remote company must invest in technologies that make remote work situations more productive, and therefore more flexible for employees to work from the locations they are in, and tirelessly cross zones, if necessary. This way, teams won’t have to cancel or reschedule a meeting due to locations or times that feel inconvenient: no meetings will get cancelled or rescheduled because of inconvenient time or location.

Security

One major workplace challenge has to do with online security on remote work locations. Employees usually use company data on their personal devices that are not entirely under company control, but hackers might use these personal devices to get hold of passwords or other confidential data using them.

This can be addressed by encouraging team members to use software that will automatically provide agendas for meetings or deadlines in their local time zones. Secondly, providing hands-on training for new technology can be helpful in creating a sense of collaboration. For example, when a company undertakes a new technology that will require a coordinated schedule at home, it is important to educate workers so that everyone understands exactly how this arrangement works.

These techniques might also involve the use of new language, which is another technique companies can adopt to level the playing field. For instance, American companies could help their foreign workers overcome the challenges of the language barrier by setting up constant online chats using the English language. Likewise, workers could also learn their managers’ language through various learning apps.

These approaches might also involve monetary assistance for technology. Many interviewees suggested that companies should offer this assistance for equipment so that each worker has everything necessary to do their job well.

IT

The growing institutionalisation of remote working has made the search for solutions arguably the most important aspect of modern professional success. Despite the positive effetcs experienced by many businesses and individuals with the shift to remote working, there is a need for effective remote work solutions to overcome communication barriers, replicate office structures, ensure productive work patterns, minimise distractions, and foster a social environment in the workplace from home.

Top-tier remote organisations invest in the technology that their teams need to do their jobs well: fast hardware, reliable broadband Internet connections and in solutions that can make remote work easy and secure – compliant with all the necessary requirements. They also provide polices and guidelines that govern how remote work should function.

They teach it to their people on how to manage distractions artfully at home while creating a new schedule to accommodate work and personal lives, thus solving the issues arising as a consequence of working from home without diminishing performance and morale. This measure enables the employees to easily overcome the unprecedented problems resulting in hastily plagued performance and morale.