The past two years have forced business owners around the world to adopt new ways of working – we have adapted, and most of us have done a particularly good job of it. The majority of businesses initiated at least a partial remote working team – this was the only way of continuing to operate at a level that was sustainable and enabled business owners to keep their heads above water. The problem was that this potentially business-defining decision had to be made overnight; luckily, most have not only coped with the help of remote working but have, in fact, thrived.
In some ways remote working is more efficient and productive than the traditional in-work setting. As it grows in popularity, more and more business owners are considering a conversion to it, mainly because when it is undergone correctly it can not only reduce your expenditure, but also increase productivity, collaboration, and communication in your workforce.
Remote working has grown in popularity over the last decade – it simply took something as drastic as Covid to speed up the process.
The Positives of Remote Working:
Save money
If undergone correctly, remote working has the power to save you a lot of money. It is rare to find a tool or process in the workplace that allows you to simultaneously lower cost whilst increasing the size of your workforce – but remote working manages it.
Employee recruitment and retainment
You must have the ability to recruit and maintain the right team for your organisation. Having a remote working infrastructure in place allows you to vastly widen your scope for opportunities for recruitment – no matter the prospective employee’s location in the world, you can still offer them the job. The location of the ‘Head Office’ is irrelevant to your team - the flexibility that they are achieving at home far outweighs such small issues.
Employee retention
As much as we try to avoid it, there are always members of the team that are integral and gradually become a part of the lifeblood of the organisation. With remote working you can offer an incentive to keep them on board. If they choose to move location, for example, you can still retain them as an employee, allowing you to save on further training costs to enable a new employee to fill the gap.
Continuation of workflow regardless of unforeseen circumstances
The workplace is unpredictable, and this fact has never been more relevant than over the last few years. Even the most prepared businesses cannot anticipate everything - rail strikes, adverse weather conditions, or national events are just some of the reasons that members of your team may not make it into the office. If advised not to travel then you cannot blame your team – but, not to sound heartless this isn’t good enough, because you cannot afford the potentially business-defining consequences of a reduction in output that would result from a reduced team in office. Remote working allows your team to work from home and continue work as normal.
Work-life balance
Sometimes work can feel like it rules your life. With remote working you can offer your team a chance to work in a far more beneficial way to both their home lives and careers. Remote working can increase job satisfaction, motivation, and engagement – as we are all too aware, the office can be stuffy, mind numbing, and (depending on your relationship with your peers) unpleasant to say the least, so a change of scenery can work wonders for your mental health. But, remote working does not have to be a companywide change straight away – or at all. Your team do not have to be out of the office every day of the week, and you don’t have to do anything you aren’t comfortable with. It offers an option – an option that was not previously available, and one that makes for a happier workforce and in turn increased productivity.
It is important to adopt a remote working plan and culture if you want to move into the future with IT as part of your work practices.
An effective remote working culture
Adopting an effective remote working culture is no easy task. Let’s take a look at some tips on how to make one:
· Invest! – Ensure your workforce has the tools they need when working remotely, this will enable them to be productive at all times.
· Security measures! – You must provide secure access to all relevant data and IT systems. Don’t expect your team to know how to behave securely when working remotely - education is important.
· Avoid social isolation – Don’t just leave your team alone when they, or you, are working remotely. We are not saying to nag them all day but regular communication with your team is important to ensure they are not feeling isolated and disconnected from others in the organisation.
It is fair to anticipate that remote working is the future of business productivity. If you undergo an implementation successfully, you can reap the benefits of a more cost-effective, interconnected, collaborative, effective, and - most important of all – profitable, future. All of which is achievable from anywhere on the planet.
Remote working can be very daunting. If you are concerned about implementing it, or are apprehensive in deciding whether it is the right choice for your organisation, please don’t hesitate to contact our expert team for IT consultancy – we can guide you to an effective future with remote working as a key work practice.
Remote working
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