How Remote Working Can Benefit Your Business

remote worker

 

If you have been working remotely since the beginning of lockdown and wondering whether there has been any benefit to your business from the separation, here are a few reasons why you should consider it for a while longer.

Time-Saving

Remember when you used to run from one meeting to another, spending hours in traffic every day getting to and from the office daily? Working remotely has freed up that wasted travel time, and you have more likely been able to get an earlier start and a decent finish to your day.

Better Concentration Environment

If you work in an open-plan office,  you may sometimes find it difficult to focus on one task at a time. You may be interrupted by colleagues or their calls, external distractions, and impromptu meetings can have a knack for breaking one’s momentum. By working from home, you may have been able to set your online channels to “away”, put your head down, and concentrate a little longer.

Healthier Eating Habits

It is so easy to grab a burger or junk food whilst running between meetings and deadlines. You may have been able to plan your meals a little better whilst working from home, in that a good home-cooked breakfast or lunch has been substituted for on-the-go calories.

You get down to business

Have you found that meetings that usually ran well over the allotted time are now done far quicker? The chit-chat and interruptions seem to be far less when everyone is meeting via video conferencing. And those meetings that could have been emailed, are actually becoming emails.

In conclusion, if your business has not yet considered it, it’s not too late to look into remote working. There are tools you can put in place even for your office calls to be routed to a receptionist sitting at home and in return be routed to the relevant staff members as if they are in the office. Thoromo Investment has such solutions. You can contact us at 010 534 6002/8472

Digital Nomads- A career option to look into in 2020

digital nomad working from home

digital nomad working from the beach

Digital Nomads- Who are they?

 

Have you ever dreamed of working anywhere anytime, while you enjoy traveling? Are you tired of being stuck in the office from 9-5? Join the trend of mobile workers, Digital Nomads! This offers opportunities to work flexible hours, freedom from filling leave forms if you want to travel or take care of family matters. Anyone can do it, from a student who wants to take a sabbatical to a mom who wants to spend time with his kids at home while earning an income.

All you need is a skill and reliable internet connection to offer your services to individuals or organizations. Guess what? South Africa has been named as one of the countries ripe to take advantage of this on-demand service. Many companies are ready and are presently outsourcing their non-core services and you are there to pick and choose whatever suits you.

In as much as this may sound exciting for an adventure seeker, things like living expenses, weather, network coverage, and culture need to be taken into account. if it’s working from home, is there a way of controlling distractions, etc?

What Can You Do?

Many digital nomads work as freelancers and remote workers. it can be web digital nomad working from homedevelopers, app developers, graphic designers, accountants, engineering consultants.  There is a growing demand for online language tutors, translators. Many working parents may not have the skills to assist their children with homework. Why not offer to remotely work with their kids doing their school project and the like?

Don’t have a skill that can enable you to do work online? There are amazing courses in Udemy which can teach you valuable tech skills that don’t require you to step foot into an office. You can sign up for one of their developer courses to broaden your skillset and I fully believe tech is one of the best and most profitable industries for online work. See how many are doing it successfully in this video about Digital Nomads.

Don’t expect overnight success as a digital nomad. Take time to research on the demand for the kind of service you want to offer. Your references and work can make or break you. Build your client base from nearby contacts, some while you’re still working fulltime and in social circles. Build a strong relevant network and expand it.  Make use of social media to get leads and referrals.

It can never be overemphasized how important to have a reliable high-speed internet connection. We have seen upward trends in affordable LTE-A and 5G service in South Africa,  where you can get 20Gb LTE from as little as R250, with service providers like Galactic Hosting. Depending on the work you do, you may need a bigger package. It is important though to check network coverage before you decide to be locked in a reserve in Pilanesberg for example, or in Malelane, only to find that there’s no coverage! Also very important to have is buffer money. There will be months when you don’t earn much. Will you be able to pay rent, your day to day expenses and traveling? At least put aside 3 months’ earnings for such rainy days.

 

Yes, becoming a nomad can be richly rewarding. You can explore and see places you have always dreamed of while earning an income. make 2020, you pioneering year to being a Digital Nomad!