How to Support Remote Working
Since the Covid lockdowns of 2020, working remotely has become a part of daily life for many office-based businesses and employees. What was once a necessity is now an incentive offered by companies supporting their staff. Gone are the days of having to do the daily slog into the city, and replaced with a more practical and appealing hybrid option, breaking up that monotony and affording extra freedom.
The Latest Trends in Remote Working
With the number of employees working at least one day at home peaking at 49% in June 2020, as stated by Post Parliament, the statistics are still remaining high. Currently, Forbes report that 12.7% of full-time employees work from home, while 28.2% are hybrid workers. The ONS found an even greater number of London residents in hybrid roles, with 4 in 10 hybrid workers. Staggeringly, a study with Owl labs, found that 16% of companies are now fully remote globally.
Statistically, people aged 35 – 54 are more likely to work from home, according to Post Parliament, with most of these being managers and supervisors. A study in February 2022, highlighted how this new way of living improved wellbeing by 47%; a justifing reason for companies to increase homeworking going forward, particularly with the growing number of cases of ill mental health prevalent.
These statistics highlight how important it is to make the transition from office to home seamless. Ensuring the feasibility of working from home and setting up efficiently assure that there is no loss to productivity.
Benefits of Working Remotely
Hybrid working supports individual’s wellbeing with the comfort that being at home brings, as well as fitting in with the busy modern lifestyle with reduced commuting times. Why not start the day with the ease of staying home, having the variety of working in a local coffee shop or even the gym, which now often offer working facilities. Setting up your own home working environment enables comfort with no dress code and a choice of chair, standing desk options, a quiet space and avoiding the office politics about the room temperature and air flow! Spending lunch time with your little ones at home, meeting a friend nearby and luxuriating in precious extra sleep time are hugely advantageous reasons for hybrid working.
In the current economy, saving money on fuel or train tickets is a valuable factor, as well as the option of affording cheaper housing outside of the city. With this new way of living, working anywhere can be possible; in the countryside, breathing in the fresh air, or by the sea for a calming and peaceful lifestyle, boosting wellbeing. Considering the effects on the environment, the reduction in the use of transport is highly beneficial, contributing to improved air pollution.
How to Work from Home Effectively
Benefits of working from home may be plentiful, but getting the balance right is key. While comforting, there may be numerous distractions at home and it may be difficult to switch off at the end of the day and continuing work into the evening; being detrimental to mental health.
Setting goals for the day ahead gives milestones to work towards, keeping you on track. Similarly, setting expectations for yourself and from your employer can help with the efficiency of the working day.
In the office, it is much easier to ask a quick question to a colleague, this can be overcome and achieved at home by setting up communication channels with your team. Finding the right way of communicating for your company ensures a good home working practice for the longevity, reducing stress and increasing productivity.
Keeping wellbeing in mind, it is essential to take screen breaks reducing the risk of headaches, eye strain and fatigue. Working away from where you sleep creates a separation from work and home life, allowing you to switch off and get a more restful sleep at night.
Disadvantages of Remote Working
It can be disadvantageous for an employer offering remote working if clocking in at the start of the working day and clocking out at the end are not options or not reliable. When working time is not monitored, it could lead to lost working hours and production time from the employee.
Having too few people in the office may cause issues when phones need monitoring or customers need attending to, neglecting valuable customer service. It is important to consider displaying schedules for everyone to see so that home days can be shared accordingly and a sufficient number of employees are based in the office.
Monitoring staff lateness supports identifying trends which may be a cause for concern. This could not be tracked if an employee is at home without an efficient clocking in system. Similarly, employees may ask a colleague to clock in for them, causing a reduction in hours worked when the member of staff is elsewhere, when the start of the day is not logged.
How Our Workforce Management System Can Help You
Kelio's Workforce Time and Attendance System supports the latest working from home trends by offering accurate and reliable clocking in methods including smartphone, tablet, PC and wall-mounted terminals. Wherever you are working from, there won’t be any issues with the cloud software being accessible through any web-enabled device.
Should an employee need to change their shift type, having full visibility of other’s shifts and schedules allows re-scheduling to be made easily. Highlighting different shift types using a range of icons increases visibility, which is particularly useful for authorisation and reporting.
Having all of the clocking in data recorded in one central database allows reporting to be made easy and without any hassle.
To discuss how our Time & Attendance Solutions can help employee engagement in your organisation,
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