Remote working is fast becoming one of the main trends for the future of work.
Companies now realise that implementing a remote working policy goes a long way to help retain their best employees. Although it is not always straightforward, you can make provisions in your remote working policy to prevent future issues.
Here, we examine the issues and benefits you could face if you don’t implement a comprehensive remote working policy.
Issues to Consider
- Not being physically present in the office can cause gaps in communication.
- Workers might be confused about their responsibilities when not in a physical team environment.
- Make sure that you have the correct infrastructure in place to support your remote workers—it will make all the difference!
A common misconception about remote workers is that they are less productive and collaborative than their in-house counterparts. However, according to an article published by Forbes in 2019, this is not the case. Research found that among those who worked remotely both part-time and full-time, 77% say they are more productive when working remotely, and 30% stated that they accomplished more in less time than when they worked in-house.
At HRLocker, remote working has been a real draw for attracting great talent. As a remote-first organisation, we have many workers in different locations who are incredibly effective, from customer success managers to programmers. If you have the right things in place to facilitate remote working, it really doesn’t matter where your workers are located.
So, what is required to implement a considered remote working policy?
- Engage your remote workers with frequent, meaningful conversations using technology, site visits and away days or events to recreate the office setup.
- Use technology to connect. Software such as Microsoft Teams allows screen sharing, video conferencing and remote access to office systems to make your remote workers feel part of the team.
- Make sure you visually connect regularly. Identifying work goals for the day or week helps remote workers feel connected and seen, which is vital in overcoming feelings of isolation.
- Touch base frequently. Developing a daily, weekly and yearly check-in about the status of their work is important in ensuring workers get the support they need, when they need it.
- Have regular performance reviews with your remote workers. Invest in a performance review package to make these interactions easy to manage.
- Invest in a good internal communication system such as Microsoft Teams or Google Chat. This allows conversation throughout the day, whether you're next door or in another country. Such systems also have great features like screen sharing, which help to communicate and explain complex business ideas easily.
- Know your people. To combat the potential impact of isolation on remote workers, managers need to know their employees. Remote worker performance has been studied extensively. Familiarise yourself with such research, paying particular attention to isolation, loneliness and burnout among remote workers.
- Know their tendencies. Managers can build a work culture that enables remote employees to bring their best selves to work every day and excel in their roles.
- Have a stringent recruitment and selection process. It is important to remember that not all candidates are going to be suited to remote working.
There are many benefits to setting up a remote working policy, but it’s not without its challenges. If you put all the correct things in place, it could be a huge win for your business. So go ahead, and get planning today!
