How to Enable Employees to Work Remotely

The ability for employees to work remotely has triggered significant workplace change. Some jobs are more suited to it than others – recruiters, engineers and writers, for example, are just some of the people finding it easy to work remotely. However, in some cases, entire business functions, such as call centres, are run with people working remotely, sometimes on the other side of the world.

More people are working remotely now than ever before. One US study suggests that 63 million adults will work remotely this year – and that trend is likely to continue.

If it’s happening in your workplace, here’s how to empower your remote employees.

Check your IT Infrastructure

First things first. You can’t establish a permanent remote work policy if you don’t have the infrastructure to support it. So check what you have before you do anything else. Know your internet bandwidth and storage capacity. Ensure your technology is fast and secure. If you already operate in the cloud, employees will find it easy to work via the web. If you don’t, web tools and applications can still make it possible to access email and documents, and collaborate with colleagues.

Put a policy in place

Just as you have workplace policies in place to cover things such as leave entitlements and workplace health and safety, you need a policy to cover employees working remotely. When preparing the policy, consider who will be eligible, how it will happen, any upper limits on the number of staff who can work remotely at any one time, and any protocols or approvals that are required. Having a policy in place will help employees to understand what’s expected of them.

Invest in it

It’s not enough to simply write the policy and advise staff that they can work remotely. It’s important that you provide your workforce with the proper tools they need to work efficiently. In some cases, a bring-your-own-device approach is implemented. In others, the company provides the laptops, tablets, headsets and more. Whatever you choose you will need to invest the right high-speed internet connection and security software.

Plan for the unexpected

It’s important to have a crisis plan in place to deal with the unexpected problems that can arise in any business. Is there a way to get in touch with all staff if you need to, including those working from home? Can you connect everyone at once? An internal communications system or Skype for Business might be a good option. Whatever your solution, have the system installed and ready to go so it’s available in the event of a crisis.

Be clear about your expectations

While not every role is suited to working remotely, neither is every employee. Be clear about your expectations for those who are given the opportunity to work remotely. Set performance metrics. Keep in touch and be aware of outputs. Ensure employees are being productive. According to a Gallup poll, 58 per cent of US workers say those workers who work remotely are just as productive as those who don’t.

Get Expert Advice to work remotely

Multi IT & Telephony Solutions have over 30 years experience in the IT industry. By utilising market leading tools like O365 we can give you the correct solution to enable you to work remotely. Contact us now to discuss your IT requirements to enable you to work remotely.

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