Remote working arrangements continue to increase in 2018. According to the stats, at least 67% of businesses allow employees to work from home some of the time. This is a 17% increase from 2008 and, it isn’t difficult to see why more companies are increasingly becoming receptive to it. Not only does it provide freedom, flexibility and a sense of independence but it’s a fantastic way to cut costs. Fewer employees in the office or traveling to work means less money spent on overhead. However, it’s not all good news because remote working arrangements are not easy to manage. Indeed, some people will take advantage, slack off and their standards will drop.

So, how are businesses supposed to make this all work?

Invest In IT

The internet is the biggest resource a business has at its disposal, and it’s a significant player in remote working arrangements. Without a connection, employees can’t complete tasks from anywhere in the world. But, it isn’t the employee’s responsibility to find a café with wifi and set up for the day. As the boss, you have to ensure that they have access to the right tools to get their work done. Cloud solutions and services for business guarantee files and data are accessible. Also, it’s vital that the connection is safe and steady as both breaches or downtime can be destructive to the company’s productivity, or worse.

Communicate

Without a doubt the biggest mistake businesses can make when it comes to telecommuting employees is to believe that out of sight is out of mind. Just because workers aren’t in the office doesn’t mean you shouldn’t look over their shoulder. From email to instant messaging, text messages and teleconferencing, you should use them all on a regular basis to gauge employee productivity.

Be Available

Employees will need help at some point, and it’s essential that they be able to connect with the most appropriate contact person. Have a team in place which deals with queries and is on call during work hours. Also, you can circulate the team’s contact details and get employees to solve issues for you. Instant messaging services are excellent for this.

Measure Productivity

Few companies if any can afford to waste time or money which is why they need a scale. It’s called the ROWE approach, and it stands for “Results Only Work Environment.” In short, it’s a device a management team developed to stop people from slacking off. The trick is to replace ambiguous goals and targets with specific ones that are measurable. Clear definitions are integral to this process.

Remote or telecommuting arrangements are likely to continue to increase in years to come. What are your views on remote working?

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