Flexible working is increasingly important and something that every organisation should recognise and embrace, as the benefits outweigh the negatives.
Looking back a few years, working from home was considered an incentive or a company perk. Frequently viewed with suspicion by office bound employees, it is now regarded as a necessity and one that almost every employee expects. Advances in modern technology allow you to literally do everything at home or on the move as if you were in the office.
What is it?
’Telecommuting’ is surprisingly not a new term and has been around for a while. The increasing proportion of Millennials in the workplace has increased the attention on flexible working to a point where it has even been cited as more important than a pay increase.
Why should you embrace it?
By 2020, 50% of the workforce will be Millennials and with 88% preferring a collaborative work culture, this provides an opportunity to adapt your organisational approach to fit your employees.
Pros?
Reduce carbon footprint – the less your employees are commuting, the lower their carbon footprint and better for the environment, simple.
Flexibility – Sometimes life can get in the way. Broken down car, childcare problems or you have to travel from meeting to meeting, Telecommuting allows you to work from home, or even on the move.
Better for your health – studies have found lower stress levels among remote workers.
Happy employees/good morale – If you work in sync with your employees and create a positive, trustworthy environment, they are more likely to stay and you can retain key talent while avoiding the disruption and expense of regular recruitment.
Decrease overheads – Think about it, your employees are spending less time in the office.
Cons?
Self-motivation – Without the office pressures, your employees need to be able to perform without regular supervision.
Harder to control – You would have to let go of micro managing and trust your employees. This can only be a good thing.
Distractions – Although the office environment can be often unproductive with numerous distractions and interruptions, sometimes we have similar distractions at home. Children, daytime television, household chores, even a trip to the local shops make it harder to perform, so helping people adapt to home working is really important.
Isolation – Working out of the office everyday can become lonely, where your only communication can be via email or phone. Finding the right balance is key and video collaboration software can help remote workers to feel immersed and involved.
Most importantly, how can we help enable your workforce to Telecommute?
As you can see, the positives really do outweigh the negatives and the modern office is where you are, not where you work.
We can help you adapt to the advantages of Telecommuting with products and advice from 9 so you can remain in seamless contact with your colleagues, wherever you may be, sharing and accessing information, as if you were at your normal desk.
Mobile – Your mobile phone is now an essential business tool, so why not have all your business calls and information available on this one device, along with access to company directories and straightforward call handling and transfers.
Modern IT – Keeping your technology up to date has the power to make your business more collaborative and productive, while modern IT products and services are at the core of Telecommuting solutions.
eve – A cloud-based communications and collaboration platform. eve can help you stay connected, regardless of device or location.
