The new normal is here, and it’s a variation of everything that we did before. The term hybrid worker is on the rise, and if your business doesn’t understand it, you’re likely to lose some of your best workers.
The irony of the current situation is that businesses have asked workers to return to an office way of work, or face-to-face interaction, just when remote work had started to yield benefits to both companies and families alike. For industries or sectors where this is essential, such as care, health, delivery, manufacturing, and certain technical and building trades, it is more than understood, and workers have returned ‘en mass.
However, there are sectors where work has continued remotely for the last 18 months or so (once businesses cottoned on to how the remote worker could be assisted and set up) that have flourished through the correct management of the remote worker.
Understand the workers’ point of view
Understanding why workers feel more empowered to work on terms that they feel suit their true needs shows a shift in a societal mindset. It has also been proven that there can be significant improvements in productivity from the remote worker that is supported and resourced in the right way. It is, however, vital that as a starting point, the employer and employee are on the same page. Knowing what your employees think about where they want to work is thus step one.
Be flexible
Be prepared to negotiate and discuss a suitable way forward that will work for the business as well as working to keep employees that have valid reasons and can prove their productivity.
Have the right technology
There is no point in having a remote working policy or protocol without the right technology. There needs to be tech for communication, sharing of data, and monitoring actual performance. The software and hardware, as well as the capability to use it, are essential for any form of remote work. Furthermore, as a business, you will need to also ensure that you have professional business IT support for all the workers who are likely to then experience tech issues wherever they are based.
Training and development
As aforementioned, the possible changes and advances in tech will require ongoing training and development of remote workers and those that are involved in their management. From something as simple as online Azure courses to be able to understand and operate in the Cloud are perfect starting points for the remote worker, and these can be built on as you go. However, never start a remote working arrangement without staff being fully trained on the tech, software, and systems they are expected to take away and use.
Monitor
There must be a system set up to monitor and communicate with staff that work remotely. The best way to do this in the modern era is through the Cloud and the various remote worker apps that your team can log into on a daily basis to accept, compete and share assignments, work times, and more.
Remote working of some form, shape, or style is here to stay. The sooner that both businesses and employees can determine what works best for their specific business and range of employees, the better for productivity. The tips that are shared here are those that you can use to stay ahead of the curve when it comes to remote working.
