Why the future of the workplace is remote... or is it?

As we navigate the end of furlough and the remaining businesses return to the office, there has been a lot of debate surrounding the future of the workplace and how we work.

Shorter working weeks, remote working and hybrid working have been hot topics of conversation recently.

Even pre-pandemic the trend for flexible working was already growing. But endless quarantines, lockdowns, and enforced isolation have accelerated the number of remote workers and pushed people all around the world to work from home.

And now the imposed restrictions are being lifted, more and more businesses are questioning their structure and whether or not it’s necessary for their people to return to the physical office.

After all, why should they? As long as the role permits and you have the right precautions in place to keep your data secure (be it VPN or cloud-based), doesn’t it make sense to move further into the world of remote working and give your staff the freedom to find the best way of working for them?

By doing so you’re only going to benefit the business as a whole, as not only will you potentially save on certain costs (rent, heating, furniture, etc.), the more flexible you are with your staff, the higher their level of engagement will be and the more they will do for you.

Is remote working productive?

There are clearly advantages for the employee to work from home: no commute, less transportation costs, a better work/life balance. However there’s also a wide range of benefits for the employer.

In a study that looked at employees in 2013 and again in 2020 (pre and post pandemic), they found that working from home helped people to focus more, spend less time in unproductive meetings and spend more time with clients and/or stakeholders, which showed an increase in the organisation’s overall profitability.

Further research found that after nearly a year of home working productivity increased by 13%; with other studies measuring this increase as high as 77%.

With results like this it makes it clear why businesses are getting ready for a more flexible future.

In fact, CIPD found 44% of employers have said that they are putting in place additional measures to support home working and, of these, 66% plan to change their policies to enable more home working and 46% plan more line management training in leading and supporting home workers.

Planning for the future

To be able to successfully implement a more flexible framework into your workplace you, as the employer, have to have the right policies in place.

This includes reflecting all the relevant information in employee contracts as well as making sure each remote worker has the appropriate DSE assessments carried out, just as you would in the office.

Not only this but you will need to ensure your home working policy is up to scratch. This will outline the process of application for remote working as well as the terms and conditions regarding equipment, data, expenses, health and safety, and anything else that might apply.

So, while no one knows exactly what the future has in store, it’s all but certain remote working will play a major role in how the workplace will evolve in the coming years, if not months.

Ready to go remote?

Not sure your home working policy covers all the bases? Or maybe you’re looking for some advice to help implement remote working in your business? Whatever it is, just drop me an email (andrew@ajbhrcs.co.uk) or pick up the phone (01788 228608), I am here to help.