Mar 12, 2020

What is remote work? A quick guide.

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    Discover how to work remotely and tools that can help

    “What is remote work?” is a question you are bound to hear a lot more in the next few years. You might have heard these words before but you’re still a bit unsure about what it all actually means. Put simply, remote work gives employees the chance to do their job outside of the primary office. This means they can work at home, a café, or even at a hotel when on a business trip in another country. Some employees might even work remotely for an American company while living in the UK, for example. There are no bounds in terms of location. Of course, this remote work definition is just the tip of the iceberg – there’s a lot more to understand.

    All across the world, businesses big and small are rolling out their own versions of remote work. While it isn’t mandatory, companies are seeing remote work not only as an incentive for new hires, but retaining current employees as well. Whether it’s tentative steps of once a week, only for special circumstances (such as when a plumber needs to fix something in your apartment), or allowing it five times a week, how different companies implement remote working can vary significantly.

    Many businesses are starting to understand that if their company HQ is not based in a major city and applicants are unwilling to move, then remote work is a decent compromise. Someone already with family in Manchester might not be willing to move to London, for example, but would happily do remote work and perhaps visit the office once or twice a month. TeamViewer’s software for virtual meetings and collaboration could help bridge the gap between a remote worker and a manager in an office.

    young mother using TeamViewer Remote Access to work from home and attend online meeting while taking care of baby

    While everyone is quite keen to understand how to work remotely and how it can benefit them, it’s also important to know what tools are needed for both employees and companies. One of the quickest, most affordable, and easiest way to set up a home office is via TeamViewer. When it comes to working from home, TeamViewer’s remote work software allows employees to access their office computer – complete with all its files, programs, and company networks – as if they were sitting right in front of it. By installing TeamViewer software, you have a secure connection from a home PC or laptop to a work computer.

    There are a few other things you’ll need, such as a stable, password-secured Wi-Fi network, and a modern computer or laptop that can handle running several programs at once. Some employees also count a sturdy, spacious desk, comfortable chair, and even an extra keyboard, monitor, and mouse as essential tools for remote work. If working from home, it’s good to have a dedicated space set up for remote work, although you might have to forget some items and accessories if working from a café or hotel, for example.

    Video chat and file transfer with colleagues using TeamViewer

    How to work remotely from any device

    For anyone not too tech-savvy, it’s welcoming news to hear that you won’t need a great understanding of VPNs or have to buy a separate Windows PC just to match your computer at work. Due to cross-platform access from TeamViewer, this remote work software can help remotely access a Windows computer from your MacBook, or even on iOS or Android devices. This also means that you won’t need to save files in the cloud or on a separate USB stick, as everything you need will already be on your office computer and be accessed remotely by you. File transfer between the devices is also possible, so there’s no need to email yourself a document anymore!

    Find more about TeamViewer