Over the last ten years remote working has been steadily gaining a foothold in the UK workplace, changing the nature of work and the daily commute.
For many businesses, it now also forms a key part of their contingency plans, enabling employees to carry on working should unexpected or even expected events such as the Olympics and Paralympic Games mean that it is difficult to get into the office.
But, even though many office workers already use technologies such as laptops, tablets and smartphones that would enable them to work remotely, some employers are still hesitant about fully embracing the idea, citing concerns over security, productivity and the costs involved.
Yet remote working has a lot to offer both businesses and staff. Giving employees the freedom to work from home or on-the-go can help to keep them happy and motivated by enabling them to create a better work-life balance for themselves.
It can likewise help organisations reduce recruitment and training costs by providing workers with an incentive to stay at the organisation for longer. Recent research from the Telework Association also shows that the approach can help to boost productivity as 85% of workers say that they are get more done when working from home.
To address any concerns and ensure that the business makes the most of the situation, it is vital that HR and IT departments work together. If you are currently in the process of introducing remote working into your organisation, here are some key points to bear in mind:
1. Get managers on board
If companies are to benefit fully from going down this route, staff must feel comfortable if asking for permission to work from home. A recent study by Dr Alexandra Beauregard at the London School of Economics and Political Science suggests that remote working initiatives only succeed if they are supported from the top-down.
To ensure that managers actively encourage this cultural change, Beauregard suggests that organisations consider assessing them on how well they do just that. It is also worth taking the time to talk to the management team in order to explain why remote working is being introduced and what benefits it will likely bring to the business.
2. Review training requirements and develop clear policies
To ensure that staff make the most of remote working, HR departments should offer them training on how to employ the necessary technology and best practice security procedures.
It is also a good idea to develop clear guidelines to answer any questions that workers may have in order to ensure that they understand things like how often they can work from home and who they need to ask for permission. This precaution will help to avoid any possible confusion.
3. Stay on top of flexible working legislation
The UK government has acted as a key driving force behind the take up of flexible working practices and, last year, granted one in three workers the statutory right to ask their employer for permission to work from home.
New legislation passed last April requires companies to seriously consider requests from employees who have responsibility for a child aged 16 or under, a child with disabilities who is under 18 and/or a dependent adult.
Because the aim is to extend the right to request flexible working rights to more employees over the years ahead, it is essential that HR departments stay on top of the legislation, not only to make certain that they abide by any new employment laws, but also to ensure that their staff benefit from new working practices.
4. Ramp up security
When working from home or on the go, it is essential that employees can access essential documents and data securely. This requirement is especially true of those workers that need to access sensitive corporate information while out of the office.
The best approach here is to invest in a virtual private network. This technology provides secure access to all of the company’s data and provides a safety net both for its servers and worker’s computers.
5. Ensure that workers stay connected
A slow connection or sluggish download speeds can be frustrating for users so it can make sense to invest in a high-speed network such as fibre optic. As not all staff will have fast internet access at home, it may also be a good idea to set up a benefits package, which involves contributing towards the cost of employees’ home broadband – although this will need to be allocated as a taxable benefit.
6. Make it easy for employees to stay in touch
When employees are working remotely, it can be harder for teams to stay in touch. Therefore, it is a good idea to take a look at your communication systems to see how collaboration can be made easier. A possible option here is unified communications technology as it enables users to access multiple communication channels such as email, instant messaging, video messaging and voicemail from a single application.
7. Reassess your office space requirements
Office space is a major cost for many organisations so by reducing the amount required, it is possible to make significant savings. As remote working is likely to free up desk space, firms can introduce hot-desking practices to ensure that there are places for employees to work when they come into the office.
Phil Stewart is director of customer service at internet and telecoms provider, Virgin Media Business.
