During the pandemic, many businesses had to adapt to staff working from home in order to maintain their operations. Despite restrictions being eased, many businesses have continued to offer remote and flexible working policies to their employees to this day.
However, there are concerns that have come from offering remote working relating to communication, health and safety, productivity and a work-life balance. We have put together this guide for those considering remote working on how your business can adapt its practices to thrive when away from the traditional office environment.
What is the future of remote working?
Employees want businesses to be more flexible
We’ve seen businesses continue to adopt flexible working policies, with employees wanting more control their schedules. Harvard Business Review found that employees who have greater control over their time tend to be more satisfied with their work.
By offering your employees the flexibility to work from home, you are helping support the autonomy of employees, as well as providing an incentive which will help retain your top talent in the long-term.
New technologies are making remote working easier
For remote working to be effective, communication tools and project management needs to be seamless. The development of tools such as Basecamp, Microsoft Teams, and Zoom has made working from home easier and more efficient.
By integrating these tools into your workflow, you can give your team the resources they need to stay productive, no matter where they are. Remote workers will always remain in the loop with their projects and daily responsibilities, which creates an environment where teamwork can thrive.
Businessess will continue to have greater access to talent
Before the surge in remote working practices, the pool of talent available to businesses would often be restricted to those within a certain proximity to the business. Nowadays, businesses are able to attract employees with a diverse skill set from a wider talent pool and are less confined by geography.
LinkedIn's Global Talent Trends report found that companies that offer staff the option to work from home are seeing a 25% increase in applications from underrepresented groups. Companies who encourage working from home can significantly broaden the scope for finding the best fit for their roles. As well as this, diverse teams tend to be more productive, as discovered by Forbes. Employees from a wide range of backgrounds can draw from their various experiences and perspectives, which can enhance everyone’s capacity for innovation and creativity.
Employees continue to prioritise a work-life balance
According to the Guardian, employees are prioritising work-life balance more than ever. Being able to find the right work-life balance can help boost employees’ productivity, creativity and overall wellbeing.
A report from Employment Hero titled ‘The State of Wellbeing at Work’ revealed that fully remote workers are happier and more productive than those who work full time in the office or hybrid. By carrying out these practices within your business, it can lead to higher job satisfaction and retention, as well as a more productive workforce.
Remote working is helping businesses’ sustainable practices
The UK Government has set out policies and proposals for decarbonising all sectors of the UK economy to meet net zero target by 2050. Therefore, businesses across the country are looking for ways to reduce their carbon footprint.
In 2023, The Guardian reported that people who work from home all the time ‘cut emissions by 54%’ against those in the office. By offering remote work to employees, companies can continue to contribute to sustainability goals by reducing the number of staff commuting, helping them to lower their carbon footprint.
How can your business adapt and thrive in a working from home era?
Adopt an effective communication style
Effective communication is an essential part of business growth and collaboration when working remotely. By setting out clear, achievable goals to individuals and your entire team, you can ensure all staff are aware of the objectives of the project and the entire company.
It’s crucial all lines of communication are kept open at all times, as it will encourage open dialogue regularly on projects and give visibility over where everyone is in relation to their responsibilities. Moreover, it’s important to listen to colleagues and take any suggestions or feedback that they give seriously in order to ensure the smooth running of your business.
Encourage training resources for all staff members
If some employees have worked in an office for most of their careers, it can initially be difficult for them to adjust to using unfamiliar platforms. Therefore, it would be wise to invest in regular learning and training to ensure all employees can use these tools effectively. It also allows your staff to collaborate together and support each other through these learning programmes.
This will help limit employee errors, which can hinder the progress of certain tasks. With the right training in place, this can help decrease the requirement for employee supervision as they build confidence in their development with the new software.
Ensure regular meetings are in place with your workforce for feedback and support
Regular meetings are great for building trust between employees and managers. By developing a rapport between you and your team members, it provides employees with a safe place to share their concerns as well as discuss their ideas.
This can help avoid any potential issues quickly and elevate employee performance, leading to an increase in productivity. Employees will feel more valued and included when their work is validated and in turn this can help improve their overall performance.
Look to prioritise your employee’s wellbeing
Working from home can blur the lines between one’s personal and professional lives. Therefore, ensuring remote employees feel physically and mentally supported is important for maintaining a positive workplace culture.
This can be achieved by encouraging staff to take breaks and promoting a healthy work-life balance. Additionally, it can be helpful to provide access to mental health resources, so staff know where to go if they are struggling.
Upgrade your technological tools
If you don’t make sure all software and technologies are up to date, it can disrupt your workforce’s tasks and their ability to achieve their goals - which can have a knock-on effect for the entire business.
By providing staff with the tools required to work remotely effectively, it bridges the gap between collaborative staff members and can help maintain an effective workflow and maximise productivity as much as possible.
It is important to ensure cyber-security is in place for all staff working from home. All businesses should purchase and install a professional standard firewall. That will protect your network and systems against a variety of threats.
Staff should only access your network or servers from certain devices. Those devices should have a firewall and antivirus software installed. To remove any risk, you may also want to consider setting up a Virtual Private Network (VPN). That ensures secure, remote access to your server.
If you’re looking for finance to help with costs to help your business adopt a remote working policy or any other costs associated with starting or growing a business, contact us to find out more.
