Tip 3: Adjust Your Company for Remote Work

Keeping your company competitive means welcoming change. You have to be prepared for the shifts that the workforce experiences. Without a future plan, it’ll be difficult to meet worker expectations and retain your employees.

We’ve now discussed our first tip – nurture your employee’s work-life balance, and the second tip – don’t let your employees burn out. People are putting a lot more emphasis on sustaining both a healthy personal and professional life. They are more likely to leave a job if it isn’t allowing them to achieve their personal goals or if it’s driving them to exhaustion.

Benefits play a major role in addressing these points. Some employees want better access to healthcare, while others may require childcare assistance. Another pivotal factor in how people choose their jobs is the option to work remotely. This welcomes our third tip for future-proofing your workforce – adjusting your company for remote work.

How the Pandemic Forced a Shift in Attitude Toward Remote Work

The pandemic forced us to embrace remote work. As a result, it unintentionally changed the way we look at our workplaces. Not only did we learn that technology has evolved faster than we had realized, but being forced to use technology for remote work challenged the idea that productivity is cultivated in an office environment as work continued to be completed.

The workforce saw a huge change in attitude as we emerged from the pandemic. According to a Growmotely study, 97% of employees now don’t want to work in an office full-time (Growmotely - Remote Work). That means that if employers don’t offer at least a hybrid model of work, they may start to see their workers walking out the door.

This demand isn’t a factor of laziness. People simply value their time and energy. In the U.S., the average daily commute time is just under an hour, but for many, it’s much more. By removing the commute to and from work, employees can apply the time and energy saved to their work and personal lives.

Learn to Trust Your Employees to Work Remotely

Trusting your employees to work from home and complete their tasks at their own pace improves their level of satisfaction. Happier workers will be more productive and loyal. Plus, employee satisfaction directly correlates with better retention rates. As an employer, you must accept flexible work models.

So how do you build trust when you can’t monitor your staff in the office? Give your employees the opportunity to set their own goals and have a say in their tasks. Empower them by setting broader deadlines, allowing them to manage their own time. Rather than micro-managing tasks, offer autonomy but conduct regular check-ins.

In saying that, it’s important to  encourage separating work and life. Remote workers often feel like they need to overcompensate because of time saved by not having to commute or partake in office interactions. As an employer, you should remind your remote team to take regular breaks and detach themselves from work commitments when they’ve completed their tasks.

Welcome Flexibility in Remote Work

Offering remote work means accepting the need for flexibility. We’re seeing a lot of two-thirds split work weeks, where two days are spent in the office and three at home. The other approach is limiting office attendance to training, meetings, and events. Hybrid work seems to be the best of both worlds – allowing workers to manage their weekly responsibilities but also partake in team building and in-person check-ins.

Further still, there’s a push for more flexibility in working arrangements. Some require this schedule for caretaking responsibilities that keep them busy in the mornings. Others may be studying and have lectures to attend in the afternoon. You’ll need to have a conversation with your team and establish some ground rules but be prepared to accept self-guided working hours.

Keep Open Communication During Remote Work

One of the key challenges with remote work is feeling disconnected. Your employees may suffer from loneliness without the typical interaction that goes on in the workplace. A lack of open communication could also make your employees feel forgotten or underappreciated and therefore reduce engagement.

It’s important to facilitate team communication. Utilize virtual meeting tools such as Zoom, Slack, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams to create a space where employees can connect and even get the opportunity to see each other, brainstorm, and whiteboard ideas virtually. Discussing projects and throwing around ideas will feel a lot more natural this way.

Instant messaging apps and collaboration tools also allow you to build a work family. Your employees can also easily have casual conversations unrelated to work, much like they would in the lunchroom, having coffee, or simply sitting next to each other. You could also conduct in-person team-building activities to fill this social need.

Don’t forget to ask how your employees feel and whether they have any concerns. It’s much easier to step into an office and bring up an issue in person. As an employer, you may need to begin this conversation when your team works remotely. Open communication helps employees feel connected and they’re therefore more likely to stay loyal to you.

The Advantages of Hiring Remote Workers

Remote work opens the door to hiring job candidates from anywhere. You’re not restricted to hiring employees within your area or state if they don’t need to be in the office. Access to a larger talent pool can combat the ever-growing skills shortage. It also means a wider selection pool and more chances to find the best person for your team.

When you’re satisfying worker desires, you’ll save on hiring expenses as your turnover rates decline. This is especially true because, with your broader talent selection, you’re more likely to hire someone who appreciates and cherishes remote work. You’ll also save on expenses without the need for traditional office space, services, and supplies. Companies can also save on energy costs to help meet their corporate social responsibility goals. For socially conscious employees, cutting down on commuting also means fewer workers on the road to and from the office, leading to reduced emissions and a smaller carbon footprint.

Although remote work doesn’t fit in the traditional frameworks companies are used to, employers must become more flexible if they want to retain and attract talent. If you want to future-proof your workplace, you’ll need to adjust to remote work. Another consideration is the need to train your employees to adjust to their responsibilities in a different setting and remote work schedule. Our next article will explore our fourth future-proofing tip – employers need to constantly upskill their workers.