‘Flexible!’ ‘Remote!’ ‘Hybrid!’ A quick scour of LinkedIn’s job pages shows just how much the British workforce has changed over the last few years. No longer just in exceptional circumstances, working out of the office – at least some of the time – is a must have for the majority of employees. And with some 78% of them reporting a better work life balance as a result, it seems like agile working is absolutely here to stay. With any seismic shift, there will inevitably be teething issues on both side – pros and cons for the employer and the workforce adjusting.
Pros
Staff Retention Allowing home working gives employees more freedom to structure their own days around their personal lives – being able to better meet childcare needs, reducing the commute and a comfortable space away from office distractions to get on with the job. Improved work life balance is better for everyone, who wants to leave that job?
Attract Better Talent Without being geographically constrained by proximity to the office, means one can fish from a bigger pool of talent. Allowing homeworking gives you access to the perfect employee, wherever in the world they might be!
Lower Absence Rates Staff working at home are generally happier and more energised and less susceptible to burnout. Plus without the incubator of office life, germs don’t spread taking down multiple team members at once!
Cost Effective For both managers and employees. Staff spend less on commuting or at the sandwich shop and employers can reduce office space and associated overheads when introducing a flexible working set up. Everyone wins.
Cons
Burnout Blurring the boundaries between work and home can cause some staff to work longer and longer than they might in the office. Of course it can lead to team members reaching burnout quickly which is definitely not desirable!
Home Distractions A real perk of having some time working from home is the ability to switch from work to home mode quickly! That said, it’s incredibly easy to get distracted by little tasks or goings on at home – more so than one might in the office. It can be a challenge to stay focused.
Performance Monitoring When teams are all located in close proximity it’s incredibly easy to know how everyone’s workload is and what capacity exists in the team. There’s no denying that putting physical distance between colleagues makes it harder to keep track of everyone’s workload.
Staff Morale Can Take a Hit It can be harder to create and maintain team spirit when colleagues are based apart from one another leaving some team members feeling isolated and without support.
Many of the ‘cons’ to home or hybrid working can be attributed to poor communication. The sad thing is that the technology exists to avoid this issue altogether. You might consider investing in a VoIP telephone system if your flexible working policy is here to stay. A VoIP system recreates the office communications system in your workers own homes, needing only a broadband connection to work effectively. Conference calls can happen at the touch of a button and you can integrate video comms, file sharing and shared contact lists with ease.
If you’re ready to upgrade your system or would like a free review of your comms, get in touch with the Equations Team for a no obligation chat today.
