You most likely have heard of remote work and telework, but probably have been using both terms interchangeably. However, what you might not know is that you have been using these terms wrongly.
In this article, we’ll walk you through:
- What is the difference between remote work and telework
- Examples of remote work vs. telework
- Top 5 tools for a successful remote team workflow
What is the difference between remote work and telework?
Differentiating the difference between these two terms can be difficult as the differences between them can be subtle. So, what is remote work and what is telework exactly?
Remote work
Also known as “work from anywhere”, remote working allows employees to flexibly fulfill their work from any location (national or international) that offers stable internet connectivity.
Typically, remote workers don’t live near any of the organisation’s main offices, but continue working with the team even if they rarely may find the time (or sometimes never) to meet their supervisor in person.
Lastly, most remote workers benefit not only from the flexibility of moving around, but also when and how they use their time to complete their work. That’s why remote work often is an attractive option for travelers and students. However, remote work is more than just defining your own workspace, it is defining a lifestyle that works to your dynamics.
Telework
On the other side, you have teleworking, which allows employees to continue with their tasks and responsibilities offsite. That can be either working from home, another branch office, a cafe, or even a cowering space.
Sounds pretty similar to remote working, right? However, the biggest and main difference between a teleworker and remote employee is the limited yet required in-person office attendance. Although a teleworker can fulfill their tasks offsite, often they have to geographically be closer to their main branch in case they are needed back at the office.
Teleworking jobs are usually based on writing, research, data analysis, telemarketing, among others.
Examples of remote work vs. telework
As we’ve explained above, the key similarity and differences between remote work and telework is flexibility as far as location, working hours, and environment. Here are some examples of the most common lifestyle characteristics for remote workers and teleworkers alike:
1. Telework: Work from home
Ever since COVID-19 normalised teleworking, we have been more and more familiar with the concept of working from home, and as time passes, many organisations are seeing its benefits and maintaining this workflow model for many of their employees and teams. Working from home not only has proven to not affect and in fact improve employee productivity, but also has noticeable benefits for employees’ mental health and balancing work and personal life, although it can possibly get difficult disconnecting from work at times.
2. Remote work: Digital nomads
When we think of remote work, most of us imagine someone on a Caribbean beach, enjoying work on their laptop. These remote employees do exist and they are called digital nomads. However, as amazing as it may sound, this type of lifestyle may not be best suited for some parents or full-time caregivers that may finde teleworking more suited to their needs as it allows them to geographically stay connected but with the increased flexibility of working offsite to care over their other needs and responsibilities.
3. Hybrid work (Remote work and Telework): Co-working spaces
Co-working spaces have become regular venues for remote workers and teleworkers as they are usually spread around different main cities in well located areas. These spaces are very helpful as they have different subscription options and can still enjoy the usual office amenities that you miss by working from home. Also, most co-working spaces tend to be inspiring, beautifully designed, and always clean, making them a perfect place to focus, still enjoy your day, and possibly meet interesting people to network.
Top 5 tools for a successful remote team workflow
Whether you are a remote worker or a teleworker, it is essential to stay connected with the team and above all organised with all the multiple projects, tasks, and meetings. Having the right tools is crucial to be able to work off site as the physical limitations could get in the way of your work and productivity. That’s why we have listed the 5 tools you need for a successful remote team workflow:
1. Video call integrated real-time chat
Highlighted features: Messenger
One of the biggest concerns of working through distance is the virtual communication barrier that worries most organisations and teams. That’s why it’s important to have a tool that not only offers messaging, but that can integrate many ways to engage between team members and most importantly has video conferencing integrated into the tool. With MORNINGMATE, not only can you interact seamlessly with team members, but also send secret messages you can’t whisper through the distance, and do video conferences through both ZOOM and MS teams as you need.
2. Task Manager
Highlighted features: Task manager
One of the biggest challenges of working remotely is receiving work requests and sending them for feedback. Sometimes these requests can have a lot of subtasks that not only involve you, but many other members of your team. That’s why a project management collaboration tool like MORNINGMATE can help not only plan and organise all your tasks and subtasks, but also assign team members, set start and due dates, but most importantly, update the work progress of each member in real time to know what needs to get done, what’s in progress, what needs feedback, and any completed or on hold tasks for the team to keep track of.
3. Cloud Storage
Highlighted features: File storage and File viewer
It’s quite common to lose documents and papers at the office– and it’s not much different when working remotely with all the lost digital files and documents. That’s why it’s important to have a platform like MORNINGMATE that can hub all of your digital assets in one place where you can not only easily find your files, but also view them directly on the platform whenever and wherever you need.
4. Reminders
Highlighted features: Article posts and To-do lists
With the multiple things one has to keep in mind while working through distance, some things can slip out or some great ideas can fade away. That’s why MORNINGMATE has tools like article posts and to-do lists that can help remind you of certain quick tasks or great new ideas you have for yourself or to share with the entire team.
5. Workflow views
Highlighted features: Gantt chart
Lastly, there is nothing like being able to see your entire team’s work and tasks all in one view. Sounds overwhelming, right? With MORNINGMATE’s Gantt chart view, you can see what everyone is doing at a glance. You can track all the tasks you and other team members are working on in real time and their progress status visually, which makes organizing and modifying work itineraries easy and simple.
