National Work from Home Day on May 18 is poised to raise again the issue of remote working and the experience of the UK’s two million plus people who work from, or are based at, home.
With the spread of high speed broadband connections, working from home as an employee or a self employed person has never been easier. Back office operations are the most popular to go remote, but Voice over IP (VoIP) and virtual office technologies are now widening the processes and business operations that can go external too, including reception, call centre and other customer facing roles.
While virtual companies exist with little in the way of bricks and mortar overheads, for most small to micro-sized companies remote working will be, for the most part, in addition to a more traditional offline presence. The greatest benefits from remote working will be found in the ability to offer employees flexible working and in helping to expand or outsource operations when physical office space is limited. And with a population that’s increasingly net-savvy, offering flexible remote working will be an important asset in both retaining and hiring staff now and in the future.
The biggest hurdle is not convincing staff but management of the benefits of remote working. Initially, there may be a few teething problems to overcome while everyone adjusts, but home workers are not on an extended holiday. Working out of the office means producing measurable results in a way that isn’t always the case sitting in the company office. Combine this need to “come up with the goods” with the fear of being left out of the loop, and home workers will often be more productive and work more efficiently than if they were sitting with the boss breathing down their neck.
Part of Work Wise Week, National Work from Home Day is when employers and staff in the UK are being encouraged to experience the benefits that remote working can bring. It is being billed as “an opportunity to demonstrate that without the stress induced by the workplace environment and the long commute most have to endure, people can be more productive occasionally working from home.”
Last year, National Work from Home Day resulted in over 50 radio and television interviews and over 300 articles and features in newspapers and magazines. Even more coverage is expected this year.
Work Wise UK is a national not-for-profit initiative to promote 'smarter working' practices such as flexible, remote and mobile working, and working from home. It is supported by a number of leading organisations including the CBI, TUC, British Chambers of Commerce, BT and Transport for London. The objective is for half the working population, some 14 million workers, to have had the opportunity to work smarter by 2011.
