The business landscape is changing fast and new technologies and revolutionary ideas about employee’s working patterns mean that the traditional 9 to 5 day is falling out of fashion in some companies. A lot of business owners are increasingly using remote workers and freelancers and there are a lot of benefits to this.
People often report that they work more effectively when they can set their own schedules and work in their own space. It also reduces your overheads because you don’t need to pay for a large office space. However, before you decide that you’re going to get rid of the office and have all of your employees work remotely, you need to consider some of these potential challenges you might face when using remote workers in your business.
Motivation
Motivation is the big one. It’s easy to keep employees motivated when they’re in the office. There are few distractions and you’re there to make sure that everybody is getting on with their jobs. But when they’re at home left to their own devices, it’s a lot easier for them to slack off and that could have a big impact on productivity. The difficulty is, it’s up to them to set their own work schedules and it’s harder for you to motivate them.
Setting them regular performance goals is a good way to make sure that they’re actually getting something done, but really it’s about choosing the right remote workers. If you’ve got people in the office that are very productive and they have a good attitude toward work, they’ll probably do fine as remote workers. But people that are easily distracted and need a bit of a push to get things done are best kept in the office.
Cyber-Security
When people are working between the home and the office, they’ll probably be using their own devices a lot of the time, which poses a serious cyber-security risk. You can be sure that your office computers have the right security software, but you can’t say the same for people’s personal devices.
That’s why it’s essential that you have a bring your own device policy in place to make sure that people are always using protected devices to access company documents. You should also include some templates in a BYOD policy so your documents are displayed properly on a range of devices. This will make it easier for your employees to use their own devices both inside and outside of the office which has a lot of benefits as long as they’re protected properly.
Employee Welfare
Your role as a boss isn’t just about making sure employees are working hard, it’s also about keeping your employees happy and healthy. That’s a lot easier to do if they’re in the office and you’re getting regular contact with them. You can spot if there are any changes in their behavior or if they’re struggling with certain tasks. But when they’re working remotely, you can’t do that. That’s why it’s a good idea to hold monthly meetings where you can check on the progress of your remote workers and ensure that they have everything that they need.
Remote workers can be an asset to your business but it’s important that you’re aware of the pitfalls and you learn how to manage them properly.