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Organization’s Remote Work Environment - Are YOU Ready - For the Next Wave? (Part 3 of 3)
| In the Part 2 of this multi series article we have discussed:
We will conclude this article series with what it will take for organizations to Succeed in incorporating a permanent remote component into your organization’s work environment.
In the last 20 years, we've had six significant threats - SARS, MERS, Ebola, avian influenza and swine flu. Modelist and scientist don’t agree if the next wave of COVID-19 will be as deadly as this current outbreak. But most agree Coronavirus is not the last pandemic, BBC.com, 2020.
Organizations must be ready. I’ve created organizations Checklist for incorporating a remote component into work environment:
Scope: In Scope Technology tools selection and standardization of for remote employees. Workspace at Home equipment selection and standardization for remote employees. Management training on technology and communication. Remote employees training on technology and communication.
Out of Scope If telecommuting will continue once a vaccine is introduced and physical distancing and imposed quarantine are removed. If telecommuting will be employee’s personal choice. Whether staff feel confident about the safety of their work environment and the productivity that can be achieved either from home or from the workplace.
Financial Benefits Retention of top employees. Employer of choice for future employees. Retention of Clients or Members.
Cost Remote Technology. Equipment for Home Office. Management training on technology and communication. Employee training on technology and communication.
Success Metrics Your organization will be the Employer of Choice. Retention of employees. Organization’s KPIs at the same or above levels.
Create a Project Plan to identify the tasks, dependencies, duration, responsibilities and the scope. Include Tasks such as:
Measurable KPIs to Goals Align measurable key performance indicators (KPI's) tied to organization’s overall goals. This way you can more easily measure productivity and performance. Develop task-related processes such as setting clear goals and standards.
Communication, Communication, Communication Regularly communicate amongst all employees. This brings people together and fostering a sense of inclusion. Whether employee is on site of offsite regular contact helps build trust and confidence among team members. This provides ongoing opportunities for input and influence. Set expectations and accountability practices right from the get go. Manager must communicate and encourage their employees to take the needed brakes and not get burnout.
Establish Performance Standards Departmental leaders – you know what your department’s needs. Set benchmarks, sharing best practices, articulate standards by which your team’s performance will be evaluated.
Collaborative Mindset Foster an atmosphere of collaborative atmosphere in your team. Teams with collaborative mindset bring to the best of competition and cooperation, fostering respect for all team member with different interests, talents, and expertise. Focus on dynamic discussion of differences verses disagreement. It encouraging a focus on shared goals and mutual wins.
Team's Purpose Teams need to understand their reason for being. It allows teams and individuals in teams to ensure their focus is on delivering the right things to the right people at the right time in the right way. Team's Purpose is even more important for working remotely. Employees need to understand what specific results are expected, and how they contribute to the team as individuals and to the larger enterprise as a whole. Help telecommuters and other remote employees feel like they’re part of the team. Have a clear set of policies that brings telecommuting staff into key meetings. Periodically have remote team members come into the office. Make an extra effort to keeping telecommuters in the loop on company and department news, via corporate portal/emails. This is especially important if they spend a significant amount of time working off site.
Selecting the Right Technology Tools Microsoft Teams, Slack, Trillo, Google Hangouts and Skype for Business are some of the platforms that telecommuters can use to keep in touch throughout the day. And file-hosting services like SharePoint, OneDrive, or organization’s in-house portals can support collaboration and information sharing in real time. Technology like virtual desktops may replace bulky laptops and computers, enabling mobility inside and outside of an office building.
Creating the Right Workspace at Home Your facility department will play an important part in creating an ergonomic working space at home by selecting the right: desks, chairs, monitors, phones headsets.
Address Fairness for On Site Employees No one likes to be treated unfairly. Make sure that those who work on site are treated equitably. It can feel like a raw deal for the employees who are left to handle problems that can’t be performed remotely by telecommuting teammates. When it comes to job performance quality and deliverables, there should be no difference between the work an employee produces at the office or while they’re remote. Set equal standards for onsite and offsite employees with respect to office hours, responsiveness for emails and phone calls to external clients an internal stakeholder. Set core hours when all employees are required to be accessible. Create and update your Telecommuting Policy periodically. Over time, your guidelines need modification as technology progresses and the workplace practices continue to evolve, additional groups of employees can be offered remote work option.
Addressing the Legality Compliance and legal counsel should review any telecommuting programs to make sure the organization stays in compliance with employment laws. Some of the issues to consider include workers compensation and state overtime regulations, as well as the company property used offsite and individual responsibilities.
Training of Management According to Gallup, 2017, successful managers all stressed the importance of getting to know their employees as people and well as genuine caring for them as individuals. Training should include:
Managers Input Managers know which job functions are most suitable for remote work, and therefore, are in the best position to customize the program for their teams. Manager will decide whether all their staff working remotely, or a certain percentage of staff remote, or having staff work remote on specific days, or a hybrid between working in the office and at home. Questions that a manager might consider when evaluating whether a role is a good fit for remote work include: Is this position really right to independent work? Does the job require a lot communication that face time/videoconferencing alone can’t support effectively? Is there’s a negative impact, if any, on our teamwork, on our organizational culture, if few or all employees telecommuted regularly? In It's the Manager: Gallup, 2019, finds the quality of managers and team leaders is the single biggest factor in your organization's long-term success.
Managing of Telecommuters Managers must reiterate that remote workers keeping similar hours and maintaining similar levels of productivity. Telecommuting employees need to feel confident that their manager believes they will work as hard as they would in a regular office. If you as a manager unnecessarily checking in several times a day with your offsite workers just to “see how things are going,” those employees may feel like you don’t trust them.
Celebrate Successes Management should not just celebrate the end of the project but small wins as well. Feeling like a team means not just working together but being recognized for each members' sacrifices and accomplishments. Bringing your whole staff together at one location on occasion can help to build camaraderie and team spirit, while keeping social distancing in mind. If that’s not possible, try scheduling a videoconference on an annual basis using a platform like Microsoft Teams, GoTo Meeting or Zoom. |
Posted on: October 02, 2020 06:00 AM
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Organization’s Remote Work Environment - Are YOU Ready - For the Next Wave? (Part 1 of 3)
| Having a Remote Work environment is a big undertaking for the organization. In order to consume the best practices of incorporating remote work component into a company’s environment I created a multi series article. In this part we will concentrate on:
Current Situation A State of Emergency was declared and most likely your organization created an Emergency / COVID-19 Committee. Much of the organization’s staff was moved remotely or the businesses closed out. As things began to settle a bit, an Unpause Committee was formed.
What’s Next? Most likely your organization did not have a culture or environment that is conducive to a remote workforce. To be an innovative organization and a leader you’ll have to incorporating remote working environment.
Alignment of Business Objectives / Business Value to Goals and KPIs Now it’s time to align Business Objectives / Business Value to your company’s Innovation Pillars. Your Primary Objective should be putting your employees in the best possible place to deliver on expectations while giving the best service to your customers/members. And incorporate a permanent remote component into your work environment. Secondary Objectives should be: Have clear procedures, policies and a standardized plan in place for the ongoing potential of a limited access environment. Create fairness across job functions while remembering that every position has needs that are different. Provide employees with the appropriate tools, including training. Ensure productivity while remote ability and flexibility is guaranteed. Always be ready for the need for potential changes in focus, work shifts and roles. Keep staff involved and connected in the process.
Align all remote components to your companies Goals and KPIs (Key Performance Indicators). If your organization has both Front Line and Back Office those are your key audience.
Employer of Choice Incorporating Remote Working will give your organization a competitive advantage. This will make your company an Employer of Choice. According to Gartner, 2020, organizations can differentiate themselves from competitors by being an Accelerated Trend Leader in Telecommuting. Remote work is here to stay. Gartner analysis shows that 48% of employees will likely work remotely at least part of the time after the COVID-19 pandemic, compared to 30% pre-pandemic.
Work Life Balance What does this mean to your employees?
Improved Productivity According to a 2009 study by MIT's Sloan School, well-managed virtual teams can potentially outperform teams sharing a location. Another research conducted by Global Work Place Analytics, 2018, showed teleworking or remote working has increased the productivity of employees by up to 40%. Forbes, 2017, according to State of Work Productivity Report two-thirds of managers reporting an increase in overall productivity from their remote employees. Managers who engage their employees create an average 15% productivity bump - would save the company up to $8,000 per employee. That's an annual $4 million premium, for 250 employee company, according to Gallup, 2020.
Even Federal Government Going It Federal Government with the bloating bureaucracy is leading in terms of Telecommuting with the signing of Telework Enhancement Act of 2010 into law. It provided a framework for U.S. agencies to offer teleworking as a viable option to employees. By increasing the number of employees who telework, the Telework Enhancement Act has three main objectives. 1) Improve continuity of operations, 2) Promote management Effectiveness and 3) Enhance work-life balance.
Reduction Operating Costs Organizations will have reduction in operating costs. By reducing the office footprint and reduction in parking space footprint. A typical employer can save about $11,000 per year for every person who works remotely half of the time, Global Workplace Analytics.
Fewer Employee Sick Days American Management Association (AMA), 2018, reveals that teleworking programs contribute to a 63% reduction in unscheduled absentees. The benefit is that if a sick person comes into the office there is the real chance of infecting others. This places a large pressure on workforce productivity because in offices the common cold, and other viral diseases, spreads very quickly infecting significant portions of teams and the workforce. And now more than ever with COVID-19 the results are much more sever.
Empowering Woman If your business has a strong telecommuting program, you have a better chance of keeping women who are thinking of motherhood and those who are already have children at your company. By incorporating a remote work component into a company’s environment you are helping these women achieve their full potential. Now they don’t have to choose between Work or Family.
Lower Levels of Stress According to Psychology Today.com, 2015, communing can be a major cause of stress. This is due to its unpredictability and a sense of loss of control. During commute commuters experience boredom, social isolation, road rage, and frustration from problems like traffic or delays.
Go Green for the Planet Remote home is Environmentally Friendly. It reduced carbon footprint.
Decreased Chance of a Motor Accident According to the Federal Highway Commission, 2018, the average number of miles per car accident for the average US driver is 165,000 of which 1 in 77 car accidents is fatal. A typical 30 miles per day commute would bring to 241,500 miles. This would mean an avoidance of car accidents and potentially saving employees life.
Next part in this series I will describe what organizations need to Mitigate when incorporating a remote component into its work environment. |
Posted on: September 19, 2020 12:11 AM
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