Twenty months ago, an estimated 5% of the US workforce worked from home at ½ of the time or more. Today, it’s estimated to be at least 54% of the workforce1. Usually, an organization takes up to 12 months to plan and implement a remote work program; because of COVID-19, this expansion of remote work occurred literally overnight. Organizational leadership who’ve long stated, somewhat provocatively, that remote work would never work for their organization are now faced with the reality that it actually could work. It’s no wonder there have been challenges and tremendous stress as this occurred. And the question is – will this be the new norm.
So - what will organizations need to do to ensure that remote work is effective for both their employees and the organization. A first step is to recognize that developing a program to support remote work does not mean that every employee will be working remotely all the time; it will have different parameters based on an individual’s job function and personal situation at home. We’ve outlined specific factors to consider below.
Assess what is working now to determine how to proceed:
- Technology: do remote workers have the required technology – collaboration, knowledge sharing, communications, security – to support their work processes, AND are they proficient using the technology.
- Communication skills: are remote workers and their managers effectively communicating – staying connected, sharing current task, managing schedules, building team cohesion – so they continue to be effective achieving their goals.
- Time management skills: are remote workers able to focus and maintain their schedules to work effectively and meet team and project goals.
- Home office: do remote workers have an appropriate setting in their home to work effectively over the long term – dedicated workspace, appropriate ergonomic furniture, minimal distractions from others also living in the residence, effective internet access.
Assess job functions that are supported by remote work:
- Collaboration processes and tools
- Unique tools/technology part of work process
- Security requirements
- Degree of process integration with team
- Technology centered/supported work processes
This information, coupled with the findings from the assessment of what is working today, are both core to defining a more strategic and formal process for supporting remote work. Allsteel’s paper Making Mobility Work for You has additional details and recommendation that will be helpful.
1 Global Workplace Analytics
2 Global Workplace Analytics