The benefits of flexible and remote working

While flexible work is not for everyone, facilitating remote work as an option to employees is here to stay for businesses to remain appealing to workers moving into the future.

Traditional work environments now seem archaic in attitude with employees today expecting more flexible arrangements that promote work/life balance at all levels of the business. Change brings it’s own challenges and it can take time for workers and businesses to fully adjust to new environments.

Here we take a look at some of the rewards for both workers and business in following through to transform business operations for more flexible and remote working.

Living through a pandemic has forced, in a short period of time, the advancement of digital business management and collaboration tools and how we use them. Workers can now perform as efficiently, if not better than they did being in the office fulltime. Many workers appreciate the flexibility of remote work to better meet family and personal needs, while many also experience lower levels of workplace stress and gain greater job satisfaction.

Remote work doesn’t have to compromise productivity or connection.

Remote working may not be suitable for all aspects of an organisation but with clear guidelines in place that recognize different needs, and where employers and employees can agree to change standard working arrangements, both parties can greatly benefit from a flexible work environment.  Statistics through 2020 and the Covid-19 pandemic have proven that the majority of staff members, with the correct resources in place, found working remotely increased or at least matched their usual level of productivity. (Capterra survey)

Increasingly, work flexibility options are the clincher in choosing one job offer over another. Also, Gallup research found that 54 percent of office workers would leave their job, if they could have one with more flexibility.

IMPROVED PRODUCTIVITY

• Reduced or non-existent commute time increases productivity.
• Flexibility, new technology and tools that engage, drive performance for better quality outcomes and faster delivery.
• Reductions in absenteeism and employee turnover reduces the disruption to workflows and boosts morale.

COMMUNICATION AND ENGAGEMENT

• Virtual meetings open up opportunities to connect a wider audience more frequently with less advance notice. Each meeting has more impact and less time is spent co-ordinating attendees.
• Fitting more people into a ‘virtual’ meeting room avoids having to present the same agenda to multiple audiences at different times and facilitates better collaboration. More time is focussed on delivering great work and getting results faster.
• Team Zoom or Google Hangouts meetings seem more intimate and engaging. Online platforms level the playing field for more introverted employees who don’t feel comfortable speaking in person to larger groups. This means everyone gets a chance to be heard and an opportunity to ask questions or provide feedback.
• Channels like Microsoft Teams and Slack let employees stay connected individually, as a team for projects, or just for fun.
• Employee recognition is key to staying connected. Simple daily engagement like morning greetings and check-ins over a shared channel, or ongoing Employee Recognition Programs are effective ways to acknowledge employees and stay socially connected. Promote positive work culture and increase team engagement by allowing peers to give kudos to each other.

LEADERSHIP

• Hierarchies are being flattened, making businesses more efficient. More people involved in real-time reduces the communication layers and instant feedback means less time in decision making.
• Workers have more ownership and autonomy working remotely. Leaders increasingly assess employees on outcomes rather than time put in. Here leaders need to set clearer expectations, goals and ambitions but allow more freedom and empowerment on how and when to meet those targets. Innovative, tech-led business intelligence software and custom dashboards allow leaders to set and measure KPIs. Accountability holds staff responsible and provides job satisfaction with acknowledgement from both leaders and peers of work done.
• Workers feel more supported with Managers increased availability during work hours, and appreciate the awareness their Managers gain of their work and personal life through real-time shared channels. Again, this levels the playing field. With multiple ways to demonstrate their value to Managers, workers can deliver and promote work through the most suitable channel for specific tasks, as well as choose personal communication channel preferences.

OFFICESPACE

• While there is still some need for a physical work environment, reduced office space and resources saves business costs.
• New creative spaces. Innovation to create spaces for new ways to interact with specific technology requirements and spaces that cater for individual needs are changing the future workplace layout. The new workspace needs to support and facilitate all types of work options. From individuals coming in 1-2 days a week to those anchor people that will be in the office most days, as well as people that may never come into the office.
• Technology has revolutionized our workplaces and how we work – cloud-based management tools, instant messaging and collaboration software gives remote workers the resources they need anywhere, anytime to deliver efficiently.

MOVING INTO THE FUTURE

The way we work and the ‘typical’ officespace fitout is changing. Businesses need to reconsider the size, availability and flexibility of workspaces and workers technology requirements. Embracing the change, the new wave of officespace rejuvenation is responding to demand for new products and functionality. Even facilitating these changes to your workspace can be done somewhat remotely these days. Creating the perfect workspace is easier with free services like NEOGO to do all the legwork for you. Digital platforms like NEOGO save Office Managers, Assistants or even Landlords hours and money finding the right fitout contractors to design and build a supportive and functional flexible workspace and get instant quotes.

Flexible working and workspaces introduce new challenges for businesses who aren’t used to supporting a remote workforce. One of the most important things is for employees and employers to understand is that they are ‘all in this together’, and have shared responsibilities to make remote work productive. Increased ownership empowers employees, promotes engagement and can contribute to greater job satisfaction.

Companies would be wise to prioritise the remote work revolution as a strategy to enhance their business operations in this new decade. To start, trial flexible working arrangements for a fixed period such as three to six months. That way you can get a better idea of what will or won’t work for individual employees and your business, and make adjustments if necessary. Always keep open communication between executives, management and staff to build trust and help avoid confusion and uncertainty. Ongoing conversations with staff help to manage expectations and encourage a supportive work environment.

ECJ Technology can help you overcome compliance and security vulnerabilities that may come with remote working, as well as improve your business operations processes. By replacing physical or manual processes with digital processes and automation, or upgrading existing technology, ECJ can help you to transform and improve your service to customers or internal business operations. Businesses such as Banks face the challenge of securing the printing of applications and confidential documents, usually held in a highly secure office environment. That kind of information cannot risk being printed and left around someone’s home while remote working, leaving it exposed to anyone who visits, for example.

Security can be tailored to your specific needs and implemented to improve existing business operations systems or create new ones. The experience of a trusted technology partner like ECJ can help you build a better, secure future and stay competitive.

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Are you facing any of these challenges? If you’re keen to learn how you can overcome them, get in touch with ECJ’s team and they’ll walk you through the best solutions to suit your business needs. Schedule a free 20 minute consultation with ECJ Technology today. Get your digital transformation journey started with a trusted software development company.