What is working from home?
Working from home means employees conducting work without the need to travel to an external workplace. Although it is a simple concept, the reality is that working from home means different things from one organisation to another. Office work is particularly suited to remote working, but there are also field roles that can be based from home. Businesses which provide services in different locations may have employees who do not need to attend the office.
What are the benefits of working from home for employers?
What challenges does working from home present for employers?
How can WorkBuzz help companies make a success of working from home?
The Biggest Employee Experience Trends of 2021
Based on unique insights from over 300 HR professionals and organisational leaders, The State of Employee Engagement 2021 report reveals HR’s biggest priorities right now, the challenges ahead for hybrid working, and uncovers the great employee engagement divide.
What are the benefits of working from home for employers?
Employers benefit from allowing their staff to work from home in a number of ways. This is dependant on the organisation, but with the right systems in place to support employees who work from home, it is possible to boost productivity and improve employee morale.
Lower overheads
To begin with, they typically need less office space. Given that offices in city and town centres are expensive to rent and maintain, occupying a smaller office space is a great way to lower costs.
Better recruitment and retention
Another key advantage of allowing people to work from home if they want to is that it tends to help with recruitment and retention. In short, many people like being able to work from home when the opportunity arises. This means employees are happier and less likely to seek employment elsewhere.
Bigger talent pools
There may be times when employees come together for annual events or team building, but working from home gives employers access to a wider talent pool. Removing the geographical restrictions that come with an office means employees can work from anywhere. In this sense, employers have access to a global talent pool.
Better productivity
Generally speaking, working from home boosts productivity. There are some cases where distractions can occur in the home, but numerous studies demonstrate that productivity tends to go up. The reason for this is that workers tend to have more meetings (both formal and informal) when they are working side by side. This means they are more likely to get on with core tasks if they are working from home instead without colleagues around them.
Happier employees
It is well known that happy employees are better for employers. They are more engaged with their work and are generally better representatives of their company than unhappy employees. Working from home gives staff the chance to have a better work-life balance and they can save time and money travelling to work.
Find Out How To Get Better Employee Engagement
What challenges does working from home present for employers?
One of the main challenges for employers is keeping employee engagement high and ensuring employee experiences are positive. It is important for employers to provide employees with the tools to complete their tasks as efficiently as possible. Some organisations may need to invest in better IT infrastructure and software to make working from possible for employees.
It is vital for managers, supervisors and teams to have tools to collaborate with one another. Virtual meetings and online communication require teams of people to find new ways to communicate effectively. Senior staff also need to find ways to track progress and review employees’ work effectively to keep productivity in check. This is often done with time management tools and by checking on work progress as it is completed. Another interpersonal factor to consider is the lack of face-to-face communication may make it difficult for teams to bond, so employers should hold team building days and activities to help build the right workplace culture.
Looking after employee health and wellbeing is really important to keep staff engaged with their work. Employers need to be mindful of the need to switch off from work and should encourage employees to eat healthily, exercise regularly and take frequent breaks from their work station.
Learn more about employee engagement
How can WorkBuzz help companies make a success of working from home?
Understanding what employees think and feel about working from home is the key to making it a success. By surveying your employees and acting on employee feedback, employers will be able to make better decisions about how to best manage remote working, or indeed hybrid working models.
WorkBuzz’s anonymised employee engagement platform helps HR professionals and management teams to formulate policies that support working from home. Our platform encourages employees to share their experiences, which gives employers the information and the tools they need to implement best practices for working from home.
