During the Covid-19 pandemic it is not surprising that, many companies, especially SMEs, are becoming increasingly flexible with their worker’s schedule which ultimately is leading to a global shift to working from home. Whilst the initial transition may cause some adjustment and uncertainty questions started being asked by employee’s all over the country. Questions such as: does remote working influence the productivity of employees? Do we need to upgrade our software and IT equipment? Will working–from–home affect the customer experience? Even though some of these questions can only be answered over time, there are many benefits of encouraging and supporting flexible working practices in your organisation.
Even though many aspects of our social lives have been put on hold for the foreseeable future, it is important to note that working remotely ensures a better work life balance. As many companies have had to adopt the ‘flexi-hours’ scheme (which enables you as an employee to start and end your working day as you choose) you can have more control over your work life structure. Working from home with the ‘flexi-hours’ scheme makes attending to the needs of your personal life much more accessible and easier. Furthermore, from a business point of view, working from home enables employee’s progress to be monitored on an objective based performance rather than a time-based approach. This ultimately means an employee’s productivity and progress can be measured by goals-driven activities rather than simply spending time in an office.
Whether you live in the city or the country, everybody must deal with the stress of commuting. Whether it be jumping in your car or catching the train, new studies suggest that in 2019 commuters spent around 221 hours a year getting to and from work adding stressful and unproductive hours to the working day. Commuting can also be expensive too with some commuters spending large proportions of their hard-earned salary on fuel, vehicle maintenance and the ever-increasing public transport fees. As expected, home based workers have to spend less time commuting which has been proven to have a positive effect both mentally and physically as individuals have more time to sleep, exercise or new activities which can only have a positive effect on their performance in the workplace. The environment is also largely benefitting from remote based working trend as the decrease in daily commutes has caused a decline in pollution and the release of greenhouse gasses.
A smaller number of office-based workers renders large offices less necessary. The reduction of office space reduces rent and allows you to save costs as a business. Offering ‘flexi-hours’ or remote working to your employees also gives you a greater choice of candidates who may not want to commit to daily commutes.
As an individual working from home comes with another benefit of increased efficiency, as it allows you to transfer calls or enquiries to home-based workers. You can also work overtime as you please and need.
With all the changes Covid-19 has brought us, now is the time to sit back and evaluate if your current business set up is giving you, your staff and mostly importantly your customers the best possible experience. Do your employee’s have the tools and know-how to collaborate and communicate with each other whilst working from home? Is the business still easily accessible and contactable for customers?
Invosys offers a range of remote working solutions that can improve your working experience and productivity for everyone. Our cloud-based, enterprise grade phones system gives you and your business the ability to control when and where your calls are routed. Couple this with our internet-based phones and you can make a business phone call from anywhere in the world, whilst presenting the desired phone number. Furthermore, you can increase your working–from–home productivity with our Business Broadband at any chosen address. For the ultimate flexibility, choose one of our mobile phone contracts and literally work from anywhere. Call us today and our friendly team can discuss your requirements and advise the ideal solution for you and your business.
