Even though five years ago, to work remotely was something new on the local market, lately more and more companies and candidates prefer this method, which is seen as an extra benefit, according to Smartree, one of the leaders in Romania on the HR outsourcing market. “Both employees and companies perceive more and more the benefits of the remote work system and have this option, starting with the recruitment process. Moreover, today there are already employees who choose their job according to this criterion, while companies see it as an extra benefit for the candidate”, said Raluca Penes, Human Resources Coordinator Smartree. She pointed out that working remotely is mainly found in companies whose work can be carried out in a space other than the office, without affecting the fulfillment of the responsibilities in the post and without influencing the quality of the results. Thus, industries such as: IT, accounting, call center, telemarketing or even HR can be included in this category. Referring to the employees that are most attracted by this system, young people are on top of this category. Working remotely motivates them since they are more open and independent and put much more emphasis on leisure time, assuming this way of working directly. On the other hand, previous generations including the employees over 40 years old, are much more reserved in this approach. They have professionally developed in another working environment, most often associating their efficiency with strict and direct control of the hierarchical superior.

Advantages of working remotely “As I said, one of the reasons that led to an increase in the adoption rate of this type of work are the benefits that companies see in this approach, namely the cost reduction”, said Raluca Penes. According to her, firstly, the employer will reduce his expenses with the office spaces and related facilities, the transport of the employees and lunch. At the same time, employees will no longer waste their time to commute to and from the office. In addition, home working will create the necessary comfort and opportunity to spend more time with family, making them more productive and happy with their lifestyle. In terms of disadvantages, there is a high risk that the direct manager loses control over the work of a remote worker. The team, as well as the organizational culture can also be impacted in a negative way by the lack of informal communication among colleagues and direct socialization. However, in terms of salary, there is no differentiation. This can only be seen at the benefits level, because the lunch and the transport will not be assumed by the company. “It is important to remember that companies must provide to employees working from home all the needed tools to carry out their work – laptop, mobile phone, car if necessary, etc. In addition, the employer has to make sure that the employees have all the working conditions according to their job description, being responsible for this aspect”, concluded Raluca Penes. Source: Zf.ro