According to research from Lancaster University, by the end of 2018, around 50% of all the companies in the UK will have some flexible working policies in place. This means that soon, desk-based working will start to be the exception rather than the rule.
But, what does this persistent trend towards remote-working mean to the small business owner? Should you already be investing in solutions that will help your staff to work better on the move? Which productivity tools will allow you to bring this strategy to life, and how do you maintain security in an ever-moving workplace?
Empowering Productivity with Remote Working
Cloud computing has created a world where the resources required for productive, efficient working are no longer tied to a desktop. Today, you can check your emails on your phone, join a video conference from a tablet, and manage projects from anything with an internet connection - such is the power of the cloud.
As today's employees increasingly demand more work/life balance from their careers, the average workplace is changing. In a world where your office is your internet connection, how do small companies help their workers make the most of the remote framework?
Testing the Waters
For most companies, the easiest way to get started with remote working practices is to test the waters first and make sure it's a good idea to implement flexibility for your small business. While flexibility has a lot of benefits to offer, including less stress for 82% of workers, that doesn't make it the right solution for everyone.
Taking some time to test the framework will also help you to figure out which tools and resources your employees work best with. A laptop and telephony system might be an obvious first step, but the software that you make available to your staff over the cloud may need some tweaking as you learn what each professional prefers.
The key to success for remote workers is often making sure that all the resources they need are available in the same, secure space. A strategy for unified communications can simplify remote working policies and reduce the amount of time remote workers need to spend getting used to different technology.
Improving Your Chances of Success
As you're taking your first steps into the world of remote working, you should be doing a few other things to improve the chances that your remote working strategy will end in better productivity for your business. For instance:
- Implement a policy: Planning is often crucial to supporting remote work. Just because you're offering your employees more flexibility doesn't mean that you won't want to give them deadlines, minimum working requirements, or even advice on what software and hardware they should be using
- Explore the security concerns of BYOD: Many remote workers will expect to be able to use their own device at home, but this will mean that you need to consider how technology outside of your network could impact the security of your business
- Create a plan for constant communication: Finally, remember that communication is pivotal to successful remote working. Every member of your team needs to be able to talk, collaborate, and create in real-time. This means finding a workstream solution that suits your organisation
