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Right skills wrong postcode: the perks of remote working(Guardian Web Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) With growth returning to the UK economy, SMEs face a new challenge; recruiting and retaining the talent they need to compete. As a result the number of companies offering remote working is growing. Remote working allows them to provide a flexible perk to candidates with the right skills but the wrong postcode. However, managing remote workers isn't simply a case of emailing them a to-do list and calling on them at regular intervals to monitor how it is going. To make flexible working effective and deliver maximum productivity, small business owners need a strategy. Managed poorly, remote workers can quickly feel disconnected, severely impacting their motivation and productivity, says Tanja Prossler, senior HR manager EMEA at employee engagement and team collaboration consultancy Mindjet. She says: "The first and most important step, is to talk to your team about what would best suit them as individuals and the team as a whole, before putting any concrete processes in place. "Consider setting core hours where everyone is expected to be online and working, but also think about when these would best work according to those based in different time zones. There's no point making 9-11am GMT your core hours if half of your team is in San Francisco when it will be the middle of the night." It is important to ensure that everyone is still contactable outside of these core hours via their mobile phone if the matter is urgent, but also to keep in mind that team members need to maintain a good work-life balance. Once the basics are agreed, clear and consistent communication is key. Set clear objectives, targets and deadlines; and make sure they stick to them. Stay in touch Working remotely can be isolating so it is important to be inclusive and make time for regular team conference calls, or video conferencing sessions so that the whole team gets 'face time' at least once a week. "It's worth considering using social collaboration tools or shared online to-do lists so the whole team is working from the same shared system and can be updated in real-time as they complete their work," adds Prossler. Business consultancy Kloud operates a team of 60 consultants across the UK, Ireland, France and Poland, and puts flexible working at the heart of its business model. "It allows us to move into new markets quickly and effectively, and because all our consultants are home-based this provides a low-cost level to entry, yet improves client service and business responsiveness, says COO and co-founder Ian Maslin. "Our team is diverse geographically and also in terms of their skill set and experience. Naturally, these roles tend to be in teams and so a remote team structure evolves with the project manager at the helm. Regular communication is key to ensuring everyone is in the loop." One of the biggest challenges that small businesses face in operating a flexible strategy is maintaining good levels of engagement between employer and employees. Kloud organises weekly catch ups and holds company meetings at least three times a year that everyone is encouraged to attend. Also key to maintaining an effective flexi-strategy is having the right people on board in the first place. In the case of Kloud that means being a self-starter, someone who doesn't require micro-management. "We look for individuals who are good communicators, as well as driven and enthusiastic as these personalities tend to adapt more readily to remote working," says Maslin. A sound remote working strategy should also factor in the use of mobile devices for accessing company information by remote workers. This involves putting policies in place covering the use of mobile for work purposes, for example, setting out any restrictions around employees using their devices outside of working hours; where apps can be downloaded from, and which can be used for work purposes. From a data security point of view, best practice dictates that at the very minimum there should be a passcode requirement, enforcement of data encryption, a minimum screen timeout period, and parameters for initiating a device wipe to protect the organisation against unintentional data loss, says Jim Rhodes, mobile solutions supervisor at AppRiver. And small businesses yet to embrace the concept of flexible working should also be mindful of the fact that in June this year, the government's flexible working regulations will be amended, affording all employees the right to request flexible working. Alex Williams, operations director at IT firm Damovo, says small businesses should now be setting out their policy for flexible working based on the facilities they currently have, clarifying what is possible and where the boundaries are. "If they then buy into the idea of flexible working being a catalyst for business improvement, through better communication and collaboration, they can identify and deploy the right tools to turn that into a reality," he says. Advertisement feature This content has been paid for and produced to a brief agreed with 02 Business, whose brand it displays Sign up to become a member of the Guardian Small Business Network here for more advice, insight and best practice direct to your inbox. (c) 2014 Guardian Newspapers Limited. |