Technology has made it so much easier to be a popular business leader these days. Where office workers used to appreciate the perks of a fancy building in the middle of the city, employees today have a set of different values. We’d prefer autonomy and flexibility over much else a job has to offer, and an increasing number of business owners are starting to realize this.
The ones who manage to pull it off and offer telecommuting or general WFH to their employees seem to experience less turnover, happier team members, and a boost in overall productivity. What’s not to like, right?
Here is how you can build and maintain a kick-ass business culture, making your company a lot more attractive to prospective talents.
Why let them work from home?
Those working from home, compared to someone working in a traditional office, are usually more productive and happier with their job. It’s old news by now, really, and we’re even able to point to specific reasons to it; with more control over their environment, the chance to close one’s door and find moments of peace, WFH employees have fewer distractions and can get more done.
It makes a lot of sense when you consider a regular office with its open landscape and cubicles where noise is inevitable, and you’re bound to stay put for another six hours at least. With control over their own day as well as the level of noise they have to work in, your team members will be able to get a lot more done in a shorter amount of time.
Technology has set everyone free; take advantage of it, treat your employees to the same, and they’ll reward you with productivity and gratitude. Did anyone say best boss ever?
It’s all about tools and trust
Any business owner considering to offer options of remote work need to, first of all, understand its limitations. To be able to make a success of it, your office should have the right kind of communication tools implemented as well as a focus on streamlining it as much as possible.
It means that some business meetings should be live-streamed to those working from home and that your remote workers, when you need them to be present, are still able to come into the office once in awhile. Here is a handy list of the best business managements systems of 2017, by the way, to get you started.
When you have the right tools in place, and everyone knows how to use them, it won’t really feel that strange to allow your employees to work from home either. Some business owners are reluctant to implement this as they’ve built a culture of control and constant checks – almost as if the managers highly doubt that anyone will get anything done unless they hawk over them from time to time.
If you find yourself in this situation, it’s quite clear that you don’t have the right tools or culture in place – and it doesn’t really matter where they work if you haven’t incorporated trust in your culture. Even when people work from home, they have a sense of responsibility towards the company and an understanding of what needs to be done – just as they have in the office.
Trust them to do their job no matter where they are, and they’ll repay you with increased productivity every day of the week.
Start slowly
When you’ve decided that sure, this is the way to go, it’s good to keep in mind that the first couple of weeks may be bumpy. While the trust is still there, of course, you need to verify that they meet the metrics in order to continue enjoying this privilege – when the metrics are not met, they risk losing it.
With a good infrastructure in place before you go about with it, as well as continuous support and communication, the first couple of weeks will be a lot smoother. And you can embark on the next month, ready to take advantage of their improved efficiency and boost in motivation.
If you have a reward manager in place, it’s even easier to keep track of who’s managing well on their own – and who needs a bit more support. A human resource recruitment agency is a good place to start looking to up your chances of keeping your best talents around for longer – even if they work from home.
Touch base in the office
Telecommuting and building a company culture of trust may go hand-in-hand, but with too much of the former, any culture will grow weak over time. That’s why you need to make a habit out of meeting up in the office once a week, and don’t forget to include your WFH employees on in-office events and outings.
They also want to join in on all the fun, you know, and no productive employee is happy when they miss out on the socialization.
It’s the kind of thing that grows and maintains a happy office vibe at all times, where people still meet up and engage even though they’re not bound by hours and location.
Just think about all of the benefits of telecommuting; financial security in case the office is flooded, a broader talent pool as you can hire employees who live further away, the amount of costs you’ll be able to save – the list goes on.
When trust and control stand in your way of offering your team this kind of privilege, you need to work on the culture in your office. Let autonomy and flexibility lead the way, building the company up to be the kind of place where people come to work without rigid supervision.
It’s good for business and employees alike and will help you to attract the right kind of talents in the future.
