Remote working is here to stay and with statistics indicating that over 4 million people in the UK work from home, the way we work is changing. Employees and employers alike are pushing for options to work remotely, but do they know what they are signing up for?
Below we list some of the pro’s and con’s you need to consider before thinking about implementing a remote working policy.
Pro’s
1. Flexibility – having the flexibility to work where you want means you can create the ideal workspace for yourself, while also having the option of attending events or traveling to various meetings on your schedule. Similarly if you work better at a certain time of the day, you can adapt (within reason) your work day around this.
2. Save money – working from home benefits employees, as they can take home more of their hard-earned money each month. Working from home can also help them save on food no need for lunch or morning coffee.
3. Family commitments – these are much easier to manage when employees don’t need to worry about travelling to work. They can pick up and drop children off at school without needing to arrange childcare and might even opt to look after young children at home whilst working, saving on childcare costs.
4. Not working in an office environment, means work place dramas or disagreements between employees could be avoided.
5. Allowing employees to work from home may mean that you are able to encourage a more diverse workforce. You could have a team who live at opposite ends of the country or even across the globe, bringing diversity, variation and new ideas to the company.
Con’s
1. Working remotely could mean that you’ll have less face to face contact with your, peers, manager and possibly clients. It can make it hard to stay in the loop with your team which could lead to complications and mistakes further down the line. In an office you can be surrounded by your team and are able to bounce ideas from each another. Home working could lead to a team that are less motivated which could cause delays.
2. Some situations at work call for fast effective action. If you’re faced with a problem at work which requires an urgent solution at 8:30am and your manager decides to start work an hour later, this could cause big delays in solving the problem, putting the company at risk.
3. Working in an office has many social benefits and can promote positive wellbeing for employees. However working from home can be isolating for some. Many employees could spend their working week at home without having to leave their surroundings. Remote working means you could say goodbye to happy hour and social events with colleagues and this could lead to a strain on employee’s mental health and affect productivity.
4. If employees have a space in their home where they can work effectively that’s great, but for those who don’t or are easily distracted by household chores or young children, it can be less effective.
Whether or not you think remote working is for you or your business, there is a lot to consider. A good work life balance is important for everyone, so it’s vital that you plan all factors regarding employees’ working environment.
If you would like some friendly, helpful HR advice, get in touch.
