HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
NAME: SITI NUR SYAKIRAH BINTI ABDULLAH
MATRIX NO: P116780
SUBJECT CODE: ZCMA6092
LECTURER NAME: DR. SUGUNA SINNAH
TITLE: CHALLENGES & BENEFITS OF REMOTE WORK
TO HR EMPLOYEES
Remote work is described as the practice of employees completing their jobs from their
preferred location rather than working at a central office operated by employers. Previously,
remote work has not been fully adapted by most companies, but since the pandemic hit back in
2019, the circumstances forced almost every company to adopt remote work. This is to ensure
the business is back to full operation even though the whole world is under lockdown. Since
then, organizations have been utilizing remote work with the help of advanced technology.
Everyone regardless of generation was being taught to take advantage of the technology to do
their work, for example, they were taught how to organize meetings online, how to complete
departmental tasks online and how to communicate with each other digitally. Remote work can
bring numerous benefits but they also come with problems that will be discussed further.
One of the challenges that are faced by HR personnels when it comes to employees
working remotely is to have effective communication and to maintain them. It is important that
every member of the company is being notified of every change in policies or important updates
in the organization. This could be a challenge because when everyone is working remotely,
people could have different work schedules due to different time zones as they could be
anywhere in the world. Some people might also be troubled with connectivity issues therefore, it
could be a possibility that they gained any important information later than they should. This
could affect the whole working dynamic for the organization. By not having effective
communication, it would be harder for HR personnels to track everyone’s progress in their
projects or to give comments when they receive feedback from clients. Another challenge for HR
department employees when the organization is adopting remote working is having trouble in
merging different departments for shared tasks. Being physically distant from each other and not
getting to know team members physically, it is harder for employees to find ways to collaborate
for a shared project. HR personnels need to discover techniques regarding how to build trust and
transparency in communication in order to ease this process for all employees. Another challenge
that could be happening in HR during remote working is compliance issues. It is difficult for HR
personnels to monitor and ensure every employee is being compliant to any applicable laws and
regulations when they are working remotely. Laws and regulations involving data privacy,
health, employment and safety must be closely monitored by HR employees to ensure there will
be no hiccups in operating the business.
Even though working remotely has its challenges, it also has numerous benefits that
could be enjoyed by HR employees. One of them is having access to a wider talent pool. HR can
hire highly skilled people from around the globe no matter where they are. This could be
beneficial to the company as a whole as employing people from different countries and
backgrounds allow them to pitch new ideas and fresh perspectives. Working remotely could also
be beneficial to the HR personnels as they will have flexible working hours. Flexible working
hours allow HR employees to have control over their life and give them more time to plan both
work and personal tasks. They can slot personal tasks in the midst of working hours and still
meet the working requirements. This could also lead to better work life balance among HR
employees as it allows them to take a break whenever they want to. By having a good work life
balance, it sets them in a better headspace, hence boosting their morale and productivity. This
will lead to a lower turnover rate. Working remotely not only offers flexible working hours, they
also allow employees to create their own conducive work environment according to their
individual needs. These are important matters that will increase employees satisfaction, hence,
resulting in people keeping their jobs.
In conclusion, working remotely could both be challenging and beneficial to HR
employees. As we evolve into advanced technology, HR employees need to discover new
techniques, applications, skills, and softwares that could help them in monitoring employees and
communicating with them efficiently.