As we continue to return to normality, with the governments road map out of the pandemic now in its second stage, and with the vaccine rollout continuing its tremendous momentum, all businesses are now focused on their recovery and the future.
One aspect of the recovery for so many businesses will be how to integrate ‘working from home’ and ‘returning to work’, now commonly referred to as hybrid working.
This morning another large corporate – PwC with 22K UK staff, have announced new working practices in light of the pandemic, as we all prepare for the June date for the full re-opening of the economy.
A recent survey by the charity – Be The Business has announced that 18% of firms were considering the idea of a 4 day working week to boost employee productivity. Whilst the think tank – Autonomy have said that 5% of SME’s (30K) have already brought in changes.
Other large corporate’s that have announced hybrid changes to working practices include;
- BP – 22K staff can split their time 60:40 between home and office
- Twitter – announced in May last year that employees will be allowed to work from home ‘forever’
- Salesforce – have announced that its staff have the option to work remotely full time including ‘flex’ options
- JP Morgan – 77K global staff will work from home
- NatWest – 59K global staff to work from home
- KPMG – 14K staff to continue working from home
There are of course benefits from working from home, with proven capabilities for SME’s;
- Remote working makes it easier to recruit and retain the right staff members
- Improves workforce diversity
- If managed well, a business that allows remote working can build employee trust
- It certainly provides for a healthier work-life balance and employee well-being
- Workers can work at their own pace which is proven to enhance productivity[1]
Is working from home the correct thing to do for SME employees?
It’s also very important to recognise that working from home isn’t right for everyone. Many enjoy the ‘buzz’ of the office, especially those who live alone or have a busy home life, or are simply not set-up for comfortable home working.
Others, and I have been one of those on occasion have struggled to find the motivation to get the job done.
Don’t ignore that mandating a switch to compulsory homeworking could be as disruptive as refusing to allow it all.
All of this leads to a number of key decisions and questions that businesses owners need to start asking, such as;
- Does your SME business have a clear ‘work from home policy’?
- Does the job role lend itself to working from home?
- Can you trust your staff? If not, why not? Do you need to review your company culture?
- How will you manage employees who work from home, will managers need extra training?
- What are the equipment costs and tax implications?
- How will you manage the security of information and GDPR?
- How will you manage staff health and safety, especially their mental well-being?
This is where the Risk Dashboard can assist your business in understanding these questions and many more post pandemic issues and initiatives across your organisation.
Our modular based compliance platform looks at risks from across your organisation, and provides the necessary guidance and support structures to help you build a resilient organisation for the future whether your home or office working.
If you would like to know more about how Risk Dashboard can help you get your business ‘investment ready’, please contact Neil Campbell, Commercial Director at Risk Dashboard on info@riskdashboard.co.uk.
We look forward to hearing from you.
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[1] The IWG Global Workspace Survey