Are Long-Term Remote Employees a Fit for Your Organization?

Today’s hot topic is deciding when employees are going back to the workplace. A recent McKinsey report demonstrates this as it shows how COVID-19 has elevated the importance of where employees work. This positions the future of working from home (WFH) front and center in many organizations. While companies including Twitter, Facebook, and Zillow have decided to permanently expand their WFH practices, this may or may not be a fit for your business. When reviewing your WFH options, keep in mind that this does not have to be an all-or-nothing decision, a hybrid model could give you flexibility customizing where WFH works for you.

The starting point for most organizations is to first understand how a remote workforce impacts your ability to meet your organization’s needs. Answering the following questions should get you started.

• Will utilizing remote staff positively or negatively impact reaching your goals?
• How big a role does collaboration play in your organization?
• What effect can you expect WFH to have on productivity?

If a WFH approach still seems in your best interest, here are some additional questions for you to consider. As most of us have learned while adapting to COVID-19, communications with remote staff brings its own set of challenges.

• With remote employees, what avenues of communication will you need for employees that do not exist today?
• How are you going to maintain or change your culture, especially with new employees?
• How will you help remote staff feel as included as staff based in offices?
• How will you identify and nurture remote employees who you want to grow into leaders?
• Do you have a remote work policy for your employees and if you do, how well was it implemented and does it meet your needs?

Deciding your WFH strategy can seem daunting, but leveraging the right people can help. If you have a strong human resources team, I recommend starting there. Be sure to also leverage key members on your staff. If you have WFH questions, IgnitionHR is here to help. Feel free to click HERE for an introductory call.