What can business decision makers do now to make the most of remote work?
Anita Füzi coworking expert offers some actionable advice about the best ways to capitalize on the tectonic shift that is happening in the world of work right now. Remote solutions are shaping up to become a major driving force in business efficiency and Anita is offering some practical insight you can utilize as a business leader.
One of the greatest challenges is that business decision makers still don’t completely grasp the benefits of flexible working. But they are all aware that in order to turn into future-proof, they need to adjust their culture in a way that is more suited for implementing remote work policies. They could start preparing for the ongoing shift in a few ways:
1. Start baking flexibility into the company culture
In order to create a culture of flexibility at companies, managers need to shift their mindset and mentality that are better prepared for the changing world of work. As a manager, you should
- accept that work is rather perceived as an activity but not as a single place anymore, and so, work can be done in multiple workspaces and locations, not only at the dedicated work desk. Employees can (and wish to) carry out their tasks whatever work environment suits that task and their well-being. Let it happen.
- accept that important discussions can happen anywhere and not only in formal work situations at the office
- realize that flexi work is not equal to arriving or leaving early due to lack of commitment, it’s much rather like finding a way to support better work-life balance
- understand that hard work does not equal time on the clock but rather outcomes. If the employee delivers the work, who cares where and how it has been done.
- explain to employees when and why certain changes are happening: Whenever there is a change in culture (i.e. implementing hot-desk policy or introducing home-office), companies must ensure that they educated employees well enough about why these changes are happening and how to make the most out of these changes personally.
2. Embrace the gig economy
Future employees are looking for flexibility and variety in their career. By 2028, non-traditional, flexible talent (i.e. freelancers, temporary and agency workers) will comprise 24 percent more of departmental headcount as compared to today (Upwork, 2019). Companies will need to create a more inclusive and supportive company culture where both the non-traditional talent and in-house employees are able to work together as effectively as possible. Tapping external talent and finding ways to integrate the independent workforce into their operations will be incredibly valuable for the company in the long term.
3. Educate managers on how to manage remote teams
Managing remote teams requires a different style and mode of operation. Managers need to dedicate time to learn how to delegate tasks and give feedback while their employees work remotely, how to keep them engaged and motivated, communicate and be led effectively.
Besides conferences and meetups, online courses, such as the Remote How Academy, offer well-structured courses where company managers have opportunities to learn about how to shift to remote.
4. Train employees how to work remotely
Managers could test remote work by starting a few employees working remotely one-two days a week. With that, employees can get the feel. Then managers and HR should reach back out to them and get feedback about how they felt and what would they need to work more effectively.
Remote work involves using modern tech tools to communicate and collaborate more frequently. Managers should not take it for granted that all employees are pro users of every single tech tool, instead, they need to provide training to make sure everyone fully understands how the preferred tools are used. Lastly, managers should never stop provide on-going guidance.
Contracting or nearshoring is the perfect way to extend your team with remote IT professionals. Check out the IT talent that is available for you right now, or contact us for more details!
About Anita: Anita either works as a coworking consultant, helping the creation of new coworking spaces or as a tireless researcher, backing up her field work with scientific data… the pace is relentless in her crusade to participate in the global revolution of work as we know it. Follow her on Twitter to stay in the loop about anything that is even remotely remote!