The ability to work from home has created such an allure that the majority of the workforce views it as a highly valued perk. In fact, for millennials, it is becoming one of the most desirable benefits an employer can offer. However, it’s not just millennials that want flexible work hours. Over 80% of U.S. workers say they would turn down a job if it didn’t offer flexible working. In addition to attracting talent, flexible work arrangements can help increase employee retention, with over 85% of businesses confirming that productivity has increased in their company due to offering greater flexibility.
With the rapid rise of remote working, organizations are beginning to see a need for established remote work policies. Implementing a remote work policy can help companies avoid pitfalls and can help create a better experience for those employees who work from home. In this blog post, we will discuss how the lack of technical support, the difficulty to gauge an employee’s productivity and struggle to combat security threats are all pitfalls a company needs to look out for when drafting their remote work policy.
Delivering Technical Support
Technical difficulties are bound to happen and oftentimes, it happens when you least expect it. It seems like computers will always glitch right before giving a presentation to the board or your sound stops working during an important sales demo. In a traditional office environment, when a problem like this occurs, the company’s IT team is ready on-hand to help resolve these issues or, for smaller companies without a dedicated IT team, there are at least backup devices available for use.
However, if these issues occur when an employee is working from home, they don’t have access to this type of technical help. When drafting the remote work policy for your company, it is important to establish a plan of action for remote employees when technical difficulties do occur.
Gauging Productivity
As working from home becomes more popular, so has the topic of employee productivity. Even before remote working was an option, many companies struggled with measuring the productivity of its employees. However, during an eight-hour workday, it is rare that all employees are productive for the entire duration. Even the most engaged employees can struggle when working from home due to the occasional distraction of letting the dog out or interruptions caused by friends or family. To gauge productivity, at the start of each remote workday, employees should be in contact with their manager or direct supervisor to discuss their tasks for the day as well as the hours they plan on working.
Also, working from home appeals to individuals who work in different ways. Depending on the company and the work they do, the flexibility of work hours can vary. Some employees get a surge of energy at night and that is when they are the most productive. In contrast, some employees are early birds and enjoy working as soon as the sun rises.
However, many organizations still need a way to evaluate an employee’s goals and efficiency as well as the total efforts of the company as a whole. Recently, there has been a flood of software tools that have hit the market which can help measure employee productivity, no matter the hours they keep.
Managing Security Threats
In addition to the lack of technical support and difficulty to gauge productivity, one pitfall companies need to be on the lookout for is the risk of security threats. It is no secret that cyber breaches are on the rise. With businesses becoming the main target of cyberattacks, it is important for organizations to remind their employees of the possible dangers.
When drafting a remote work policy, it is important to be aware that potential breaches and attacks can happen. By educating employees of these potential risks as well as taking additional precautions such as requiring the use of a password management tool, it can help protect your company.
As remote work continues to grow, organizations need to be aware of the potential pitfalls such as the lack of technical support, measuring productivity and managing security threats. By creating a remote work policy, it can help address some of these issues even before they take place.
To learn more about flexible work arrangements, check out our blog 5 Ways to Re-Energize Your Workforce and Improve Employee Engagement!
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