Entrepreneur Resources Your source for small business information
Was your company hit hard by the recent snow day? Some reports have estimated the financial impact of the extreme weather on British businesses as totaling up to £1 billion per day, with the construction industry particularly hard hit. Of course, it’s not just freak weather that can prevent workers from getting into the office. Transport problems or waiting in for repair men and deliveries are some of the other reasons employees could be forced to take a holiday day at short notice. The result? Important projects are put on pause until they can make it back into the office. If recent events have made you rethink your policy on remote working, this post is for you.
How flexibility can help your business
While some companies can be reluctant to trial home working, on the whole, the evidence shows that introducing some element of flexibility is likely to benefit your business. Not least because you’re more likely to be better prepared should your main offices be shut down by a snow day or some other hitch.
One Chinese experiment, referenced by Stanford University here found the flexibility of being able to work from home not only increased staff happiness levels but also resulted in a performance uplift of 13 per cent. A separate study of 8,000 workers conducted by Vodafone found that 83% of companies who have introduced flexible working have seen productivity increase. Furthermore, an Aviva report published last year found that employees are more likely to stick with a company that offers flexible working, so it could really help with staff loyalty and retention too. So, if you’re hoping to create a more productive, engaged and happy workforce, offering some degree of flexible working is a great place to start.
Tips and tools to maintain momentum
Working from home needn’t be a hindrance to maintain productivity but when your workforce isn’t in the same place it does mean that clarity around work goals and expected communication methods and platforms is especially important. In the first instance, a written remote/home working policy will help to outline what is expected on both sides. This should cover questions such as:
- When home working requests will be considered
- How to notify/request remote working days
- Expected communication levels and methods including work submission
- Whether home working is restricted to a set number of days per year/quarter
- Details of accessing apps, email and unified communications from home
Think particularly hard about how your current communications set up will serve you from different locations. While micromanaging your staff from a distance is likely to be unwelcome and most likely counterproductive, you may need to get in touch with them urgently about work and you don’t want to come up against barriers like poor phone signal when you do. Video conferencing and instant messaging apps can help to keep your workforce in touch wherever they may be and ensure that employees don’t feel isolated. However, you will need to be mindful about the integration and practicalities of app use.
One recent survey found that 69% of workers waste up to an hour of time each day due to navigating different workplace communications apps. This shocking statistic has the real risk of increasing should staff encounter difficulties logging on to apps at home. With this in mind, it’s important to cover off access guides within home working policies and also to ensure any new platforms you introduce are still fit for purpose once you step outside the office.
Another option is to explore software that integrates communications alongside project management and work assigning capabilities. Lean kanban software will give you an overview of where work sits without you needing to continuously check in directly with staff, plus, with functions that highlight potential bottlenecks, it’s easy to keep a check on potential issues and whether you’re setting staff achievable goals.
Work with your workforce
Speaking to your staff ahead of introducing a home working policy could also prove beneficial. Not only will they be able to feedback about whether they would like to take advantage of the option of remote working, they should also be able to alert you to any potential obstacles that you can then try to address in advance.
How would your business fare if something like a snowstorm hit your area? Do you already have a robust remote working policy in place or is this something you may want to work on for the future?
