With more businesses working flexibly, technology means we can work just about anywhere. But as Pam Loch, Managing Partner and Alex Kiernan of niche employment law practice, Loch Associates Employment Lawyer advises, don’t just leave flexibility and freedom to chance.
It all seems too good to be true… a proverbial win-win situation which benefits both employees and employers and many businesses are quickly finding that flexible and remote working yields positive results across the board. So how can be sure to get the best out of it? One of the big advantages of flexible and remote working is employers are able to benefit from the opportunity to recruit employees from a geographically larger pool of talent, with the need for employees being office based removed. The business can then gain a competitive edge in the market place, amongst other advantages. With some sectors and industries, remote working will not be an option but for many businesses it makes sense to allow employees to work from home, if it can be done. However, while the most productive and trustworthy employees can sometimes present challenges when managing performance and monitoring work load in the office, this challenge becomes even more difficult when they are remote working. Managing remote workers who are rarely in the office inevitably requires a varied set of management skills and best practice processes to ensure the smooth running of a business. This is quite different to managing office-based employees or ad-hoc home working.
When managing remote workers the essential starting point is to ensure that your remote workers are left in no doubt as to the parameters of their employment, the processes that are to be followed, and how they are expected to perform their role. It should be made clear to remote workers that they are expected to achieve at least the same standards as office based workers. It is important to clarify objectives and the timescales within which those objectives should be achieved to avoid misunderstandings. In an office environment, employees often take their cues from colleagues when discerning acceptable norms of behaviour and the culture of the business. Remote workers lack these indicators. They therefore need to be provided with more specific, and often more regimented guidelines as compared to their counterparts, with a need for a more bespoke form of management.
Depending on the nature of the business, it can be beneficial to require new starters to spend a defined initial period of time working in the office environment to provide them with a good grounding in the aims, ethos and processes of the business. It also enables you to develop the most effective ways of managing the individual in the future. Of course it may not be possible to do this in the office so you may need to consider spending more time visiting them at home to get to know them. In addition it gives you the opportunity to ensure their work space meets health and safety requirements.
A breakdown in communication can be fatal to a working relationship, so how do you ensure good communication with your remote workers? It really depends on the nature of the information which needs to be communicated to determine which medium is most appropriate. A phone call can help answer a brief query, whilst an email is usually more appropriate for sending detailed information or non-urgent queries. Whilst it may be quicker and easier to send a brief email, a telephone call can save time in the long run and allow for any misunderstandings to be cleared up immediately. Video conferences should also be utilised as an effective tool for more in depth discussions to ensure greater understanding between larger numbers of people.
Communicating with remote workers requires a different set of skills than face-to-face contact. Research suggests that between 60-70 percent of meaning is derived from body language*, therefore care should be taken to check understanding at regular points and to verbalise elements which may not seem necessary in a face-to-face meeting. This is especially relevant when dealing with conflict or communicating difficult messages. Good communication can be a key factor for ensuring that home workers remain motivated. It is important that remote workers feel included in the company, part of a team, and not cast aside. Working remotely without contact from colleagues can lead to a sense of isolation and a feeling of being neglected by their employer. This can in some circumstances lead to depression and absenteeism. Ideally inclusive measures should be taken to involve regular phone and video conferences for group discussions, an office web cam and off-site group activities. “Old school” managers may joke that remote workers lounge around all day watching TV whilst keeping an occasional eye on their Inbox. However, there is evidence to suggest that most remote workers take their duties far more seriously. Contrary to popular belief, some studies have actually shown an increase in employee productivity.
However, whether you are entertaining the thought of an entirely home-based workforce or occasionally allowing certain employees to work remotely, you should introduce key performance indicators so you can objectively and consistently assess how each employee is performing. This will also allow you to compare remote and non-remote workers. It is important to bear in mind that the performance of both office-based and remote workers should be monitored and evaluated in the same way as much as possible to avoid discrimination towards one or the other.
Regular reviews are vitally important to provide remote workers with feedback, constructive criticism and to define boundaries. Remote workers need to be provided with feedback on a regular basis and be made aware at an early stage if they are not meeting the expectations set. It is, where possible, advisable for performance review meetings to be held face-to-face and no less than once per month (as should reviews with office-based staff). Frequent reviews will have the effect of becoming an intrinsic part of an individual’s working pattern rather than an occasional ineffectual formality. Constructive feedback will have less of a negative connotation if delivered as part of an overall structured review designed as a support mechanism for both managers and employees, with a two way exchange of information.
You should also be available to answer any queries an employee may have about work in progress or make them aware of who they can contact for help if needed. The monitoring of performance and productivity are essentially intertwined. Careful monitoring of productivity can provide an employer with vital data which could benefit the whole business. In addition the careful monitoring of productivity can provide an employer with best practice methods and ways of working which can then be implemented across the workforce. The term introduced by Cary Cooper, the distinguished psychologist, refers to those employees who work beyond their required hours, do not take holiday entitlement and still attend work when not fully fit to do so. This may sound like the perfect employee, right? You should take this type of behaviour seriously and ensure employees use their holiday entitlement and do not work excessively long hours. Presenteeism can in fact be counterproductive and bad for morale. Permitting workers to behave in this way may also be putting their health at risk which could lead to long-term absenteeism through stress for example. Whilst office workers can be more closely monitored, remote workers’ conduct is far more difficult to supervise and monitor. There is also an increased risk of remote staff working excessively long hours when they have no train to catch or journey to drive at the end of the working day. If they are engrossed in a project or piece of work, they are more likely to remain working at their desk for longer instead of taking their cues from colleagues in the office who are leaving their desk and their work behind.
Remote workers should be guided and encouraged to take appropriate breaks, to get out of the house, and to make use of holiday entitlement. You should ensure that this is clearly addressed either in a specific and cohesive remote working policy or the contract of employment. It should not be assumed that a remote worker must be at their desk or contactable immediately throughout the day unless you have set core hours. They should not be tied down to their desk and clearly need to spend some time away from their working environment. Health & Safety checks are standard in most office environments but can often be overlooked for remote workers. Inappropriate remote working conditions can have a negative impact on the work produced and can result in absenteeism through illness or injury. Where necessary consideration should be given to supplying furniture, such as an office chair or desk to ensure there is a safe working environment as well as an assessment of the working space. Regardless of whether you supply furniture or not, a full health and safety assessment should be carried out as it would for office-based workers. An employer can be held responsible for equipment supplied to its workers which is used in their home therefore you should have a clear plan of action when it comes to health and safety and keep records of consideration given to this aspect of remote working.
When things go wrong: practical considerations for performance managing a remote worker: Set objective targets and monitor performance; Ensure early and continuing performance management; Carry out regular appraisals of performance; Arrange regular one to ones remotely if necessary but include face-to-face ones too; Do not be afraid to take reasoned and sensible disciplinary action where necessary; Ensure a fair procedure is remotely followed to manage performance; Carry out regular appraisals of performance; Arrange regular one to ones remotely if necessary but include face-to-face ones too.
Do not be afraid to take reasoned and sensible disciplinary action where necessary Ensure a fair procedure is remotely followed to manage performance. Carry out regular appraisals of performance. Arrange regular one to ones remotely if necessary but include face-to-face ones too. Do not be afraid to take reasoned and sensible disciplinary action where necessary. Ensure a fair procedure is remotely followed to manage performance. Accurately record the process, any communication and the procedure followed and do not be afraid to take reasoned and sensible disciplinary action where necessary.
