The traditional office landscape is changing. Going are the days of closed cubicles, quiet workspaces and water-cooler talk. One of the biggest changes that has quickly grown in popularity is the rise of the remote working space. Remote working can have significant benefits for many employees, which explains why half of the UK's workforce is set to be remote working by 2020.
We've recently discussed the benefits of hot-desking as part of an overall agile way of working. To further this investment into agile working methodologies, the adoption of remote-working is naturally the next step.
Remote working for the employer isn’t just about saving desk space and costs and for the employee, eating biscuits on the sofa and/or getting some clothes washes done (although all valid points hmm). Remote working provides people with the flexibility to design their days so that their professional and personal lives can be experienced to their fullest potential and coexist more effectively.
Let’s have a look at well, why would you want to introduce this working style into your business and how best to do it.
Benefits to the employee
Flexible lifestyle
The most obvious reason for why people want to work remotely is because it offers them a more flexible lifestyle.
When they aren’t required to be in an office during a set working day, remote employees can focus on the things that matter to them outside of the office. If a remote worker is also a parent, he or she has the ability to start work earlier in the day so that he or she can be present when the children get home from school, or take time off during the day for a doctor’s appointment. Another scenario could be a remote employee who wants to attain further education in their field.
Better health and wellness
Remote employees are notably less stressed and have higher morale than their in-office counterparts. In a report published by Royal Society for Public Health in the UK, it was found that 55% of participants felt more stressed as a result of their commute. By eliminating that commute and letting remote employees work in an environment that they’re comfortable in, employers are nurturing less stressed-out employees. Just take a look at this stat: 69% of remote workers reported lower absenteeism than non-remote employees according to a 2014 study by PGi. Workers didn’t feel the need to skip out on work without good reason because they felt engaged and focused within their role instead of stressed or pressured. Happier, healthier employees produce better work and feel more committed to their companies. From this perspective, remote work is just good business.
Renewed passion for their job
Remote employees tend to do their best work outside of the office. They are more inspired by their surroundings and can filter out environmental distractions as they see fit. In fact, the opportunity to work remotely alone brings a new perspective to a remote workers’ position. They see it as motivation or a reward for their excellent work and are stimulated to continue to surpass their goals in order to continue living the lifestyle that they’ve come to love.
Benefits as an employer
Higher productivity
One of the most touted arguments for remote work is the increased productivity that comes with its flexibility. Remote employees are more likely to put in extra effort in their jobs, going above and beyond to get their work done in comparison to in-office employees. According to the State and Work Productivity Report, 65% of full-time employees believe that working remotely would increase productivity - and their bosses agree. Two-thirds of managers who were surveyed reported an increase in overall productivity from their remote employees.
Cost savings
Remote employees are also great for a company’s bottom line. If a team is fully-distributed, companies can see decreased overhead from money saved on costs like rent and office furniture.
Engaged employees
Beyond profit margins and higher-quality, more efficient work, employers offer remote work opportunities to keep their employees happy and engaged. Remote work is not just a flash in the pan for employee engagement - nearly 75% of employees surveyed in a Softchoice study said they would quit their job for one that offered remote work. That’s something that will make employers who are interested in talent retention listen in a little closer.
"...nearly 75% of employees surveyed in a Softchoice study said they would quit their job for one that offered remote work."
How to make remote-working, work
Now it's not all sunshine and rainbows. There are issues that can arise when employees work remotely which may have a real negative effect on businesses. Here is our top 5 on how to make it work.
1. Connect with colleagues
Some employees feel isolated or lonely when working from home. Without the office banter and constant communication, energy levels can also drop. This is where the benefits of chat tools such as Hangouts Chat can be seen firsthand. Chat rooms to help to include remote-workers and keep teams connected.
2. Educate staff
Working from home may be a new experience for your staff too and so they will need some time to adapt. Before they start working remotely, brief your team and offer tips that will help them adjust to working from home so they can maintain productivity levels and meet their goals. Regular check-ups and 1-2-1's would fit nicely here to review this with your team.
3. Get the right setup
Make it easy for employees to access everything they need to work effectively from home. Online work platforms such as G Suite make it easy for your team to access all the resources they need to do their best work. Make sure your team is also equipped with the right hardware for the job.
One thing to consider is the security aspect of employees potentially accessing sensitive business data on personal devices. Most cloud technologies are secure by design, but it’s important to understand the risks and educate your employees accordingly. Ostratto can provide a full security assessment along with consulting services on how you can secure your systems best.
4. Utilise 'deep work' signals
People operate more efficiently at various times of the day. Some employees will have a productive drive in the morning once the kids are packed off to school, whilst others will perform better after lunch.
Given home workers have targets to meet, encourage your employees to best utilise the times of day when they are most driven and free from distraction. During these times they should also indicate they do not want to be disturbed by colleagues. Creating a 'deep work' signal provides an ideal solution. Here a shared team Calendar would do nicely, along with an automatic response detailing the set hours you process your inbox - all handled by Gmail.
5. Provide regular feedback by video chat
Studies indicate that some workers feel left out when working at home. This is a basic human need for interaction and engagement. Employees crave regular feedback on their progress. In the office this is just a casual 'good work', but when the worker is remote this becomes less casual naturally.
Using digital channels to communicate can sometimes feel distant and the message you are trying to convey loses context. Constructive feedback in an email or chatroom can be taken the wrong way. Team managers have to consider people’s feelings. Therefore, conduct feedback sessions using video chat tools such as Hangouts Meet.
Our last words
As more companies warm to the idea of working remotely, the technologies which enable and enhance the remote working experience continue to improve. Without the right technologies, creating flexible working protocols is simply not possible, so before you decide to implement a telecommuting policy, make sure you have a system in place that supports your team and your business.
Ostratto promotes an agile working environment. We understand that businesses have their unique needs when it comes to IT - that's why we are so interested in the industry.
Get in touch with us to find out more about how you can get the most out of remote working for your business.
