Remote working was the buzzword of 2020, keeping the workforce productive at a time when they could not come into the office. But rather than just a virus control measure, remote working has proved to be a very useful tool for businesses. While most things in life have returned to the pre-pandemic norm, the remote working revolution has had a lasting impact.
Benefits of Remote Working
Rather than the traditional expectations of office working, remote working can offer a refreshing flexibility to both employees and employers themselves. Here are five benefits of embracing remote working within your organisation:
Employee attraction and retention - Happy staff equal a happy business. When employers give employees the flexibility to work from home, their work life balance can drastically improve. No more stressful commute, but instead the ability to work from anywhere, plus the chance to work around family and personal commitments. As a result, you are more likely to retain employees and attract the best talent who are looking for flexibility.
Productivity - This flexibility in turns boosts productivity. Employees are no longer clock watching, but instead are outcome focussed and more motivated to produce results. What's more, there are less office distractions and employees can create a working environment more conducive to their productivity.
Cost savings - With employees working from home either full or part time, you have less of a cost implication as an employer. No longer do you need the large office space with desks available for all employees. With hybrid models, hot desks and breakout areas in a smaller office provide ample space for your team to have ‘on-premise’ days, at a lower cost to your business.
Organisational resilience - As the Covid-19 pandemic demonstrated, we never fully know what is round the corner. Who could have predicted the level of restriction that we faced overnight? Embracing remote or hybrid working models better prepares your business for any unforeseen disruptions, such as natural disasters or pandemics. If employees are set up to work from home, it is ‘business as usual’ for your organisation.
Environmental impact - As a responsible employer, you may have a target to reduce your environmental impact and carbon footprint. Align with your sustainability targets by reducing staff commutes and your consumption within an office space.
Challenges of Remote Working
But it’s not all sunshine and rainbows. Remote working of course has its challenges, as with most things in life. Here are the main factors that you will need to consider for remote working to be a success.
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Isolation - Despite the distractions of an office environment, it does have the great benefit of bringing employees physically together. Remote working could potentially lead to team members feeling isolated, especially if they are not used to working off site often. To combat this, find a way to create connections and support among remote workers. After all, just putting employees together geographically will not create community. Instead, providing opportunities to work as a team, encouraging good communication and fostering a sense of respect are required. And these are all possible with remote working.
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Management - Without employees working in one defined physical space, it can be difficult to manage your teams. Business leaders will need to plan management and coordination carefully. By using tools and processes which ensure effective communication, team cohesion and accountability will flourish.
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Security Concerns - Without the traditional, physical workplace, remote work can also pose security risks. You will need to consider security measures and ensure IT infrastructure is robust to protect company data.
Remote Working Models
With these benefits and challenges in mind, many businesses offer full remote working options to their employees, yet some are hesitant.
But it doesn't have to be all-or-nothing. Many employers offer a hybrid model, enjoying the benefits of both office based and home working.
Whichever remote working model you offer, the key to making it work is flexibility. Employers embracing remote value outcome over hours, focussing on results and not the hours employees have spent within a workspace.
What Can Make Remote Work Work?
To ensure remote working is a success for your business, you need to plan how you will increase business collaboration across remote workers. Thanks to technological advancements, this is easier than ever for businesses.
Providing the right software and hardware for employees will ensure that your business’ expectations are achievable regardless of working location. This includes decent broadband, reliable email software, accessible file storage, and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software.
Communication is key, and this is where Unified Communications and Collaboration (UCC) can help. UCC helps teams to adapt and collaborate seamlessly, using one application, wherever they are. Unified Communications can bring together many forms of communication channels such as voice, video, software, data - optimising business processes with an all-in-one solution.
A full resource and process audit for your business can make sure that you have everything in place to reap the benefits of remote working.
UCC is also known as Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS). UCaaS refers to a cloud-delivered model that provides a comprehensive suite of communication and collaboration applications and services. By leveraging UCaaS, businesses can enjoy enhanced flexibility, scalability, and cost-effectiveness, making it an ideal solution for supporting remote work environments.
Conclusion
Remote working is here to stay in one guise or another. Whether you opt for fully remote or a hybrid model, the practice has considerable benefits for businesses if properly planned.
BTT can make remote working work for you. Our team will support your business to access the tools you need to thrive in the new working culture. Get in touch today to learn more.