How remote working environment could hinder the quality of professional experience

I have always wanted to share an opinion regarding remote working, in contrast to being present in office, working among peers. An overlooked aspect that remote worker will never benefit from is the instant feedback that corrects his knowledge or makes him learn new one.

In office space there are less to no constraint to communicate with co-workers, you don't have to schedule or check for your peer's availability, he is just their in his box or office. In a physical space, we have a wealth of opportunities where interactions between peers bring instant feedback and just-in-time feedback with career experience. These however, are not achievable in a remote virtual work environment.



The lack of immediate feedback results in a slowdown in experience development or may bring about questionable qualities in terms of applied knowledge. As matter of fact, office environment remains the natural place for continued education for both technical and soft skills. Professionals don't learn only from verbal and written interaction, they also learn from body language and facial expression, and these are other attributes where remote environment falls short.

A newcomer who started their professional career in a remote job and has never been in an office with co-workers would be missing professional skills, like being unconfident of the acquired knowledge and not to know how to cope with peers in conflict situation.

Remote work has been widely adopted by businesses in the world and it seems there is no go-back to the old norm. Could tools and platforms be expanded in a way that mimics office environment that fosters swift exchange between professionals ?


Comments