The office is dead. Or at least, the traditional office is dead. Gone are the days when employees had to sit behind a desk from 9 to 5, clocking in and out as they came and went.
But just because workers are no longer `chained' to their desks doesn't mean these individuals are no longer working. In fact, it means they're probably working harder, and smarter.
According to a survey undertaken by ConnectSolutions, 77% of workers reported being more productive when they were allowed to work somewhere other than the office, with some 30% asserting they actually got more work done, in less time. The same group of survey participants was 23% more likely to work longer hours and 52% less likely to take time off, even when they were sick. While one may think that a remote workforce stifles collaboration, the survey respondents reported the opposite, with 42% saying they felt just as connected to their peers as they did when everyone was working in the same office. Ten percent felt they were even more connected thanks to video conferencing and digital collaboration tools.
"This is because in conventional workplaces, scheduled meetings (that are often unnecessary) can waste time and diminish productivity. Virtual workspaces where communication is ongoing and natural (i.e. not scheduled/forced) keep remote workers productive and encourage them to be more efficient and engaged," notes Andre Deetlefs, lines of business executive at Jasco Enterprise. By embracing a more flexible approach to working hours, companies have greater access to talent. "It becomes possible, for example, for a parent to balance kids at school with working from home, as a virtual workspace allows them to move in and out of work mode, without having to physically go into an office. The company doesn't have to pay for the desk or internet connectivity the individual is using, and they are required to bring their own equipment. It also offers the worker more of a sense of control over their work/family balance."
In today's challenging economic environment, with organisations constantly looking for creative ways to tighten the proverbial purse, there is a need to find mechanisms and processes to increase productivity with fewer resources, be they human resources or financial resources, says technical director at SkyGroup Communications, Marius van Wyk. While remote working presents an opportunity to decrease their operational expenditure by downsizing office size and on-premise infrastructure requirements, businesses must be mindful of the fact that they need to invest in the necessary systems and implement certain policies to make their virtual workforce as productive as possible, he continues. "In order for remote working to work effectively, an organisation must invest in technologies to ensure better communication and collaboration with remote workers."
Greg de Chasteauneuf, CTO at Saicom Voice Services, agrees. Limited human interaction and `water cooler' chats can have a negative impact on staff morale. With everyone in a different location, skills transfer, knowledge sharing and learning can be hampered and result in a breakdown of team trust. And because we as human beings respond to non-verbal communication cues such as facial expressions and body language, when employees are not in the same room, some of the nuances of these interactions can be lost. This makes visual communication and collaboration technologies the cornerstone of a successful virtual or remote workforce.
Connectivity crunch
For Deetlefs, remote working hasn't really caught on locally because there's been no necessity to actually do it. Talent is fairly accessible and work space is relatively inexpensive to rent, so there's been no economic push to adopt this way of working. "Is SA ready? I think we are starting to get there, but we're not quite at the final destination yet," he says. He believes the main obstacle to making remote working a reality is management's inability to manage staff working remotely.
Mauritz van Wyk, senior product manager for visual communications at Vox Telecom, shares this sentiment. "For SA to be truly ready for a distributed or remote workforce, a stronger focus needs to be on training management to be empowered to deal with a workforce that is present virtually, and not necessarily physically." Many local employers view time spent in the office as an indication of an employee's dedication, but with virtual working, this mindset needs to change. "Focus on output, not input." When a manager isn't able to witness how much work someone is doing or how hard they're working, they need to have an understanding with each employee about their expectations. If an employee knows that they need to get a certain job done by a certain time, they then have the freedom to manage their own time. In this way, the goal is to complete a project as swiftly and efficiently as possible. The amount of actual time spent working on the task is less important.
Focus on output, not input.
Mauritz van Wyk, Vox Telecom
While connectivity may have been a stumbling block in the past, Deetlefs and Van Wyk asset that various technological and connectivity advances, such as FTTH, ADSL, WiFi and mobile LTE, mean that people are pretty connected wherever they go. For some people, this means working in a coffee shop; for others, it gives them the flexibility to work from home.
Businesses need to embrace new technologies because the communication and collaboration tools that have the potential to reshape the world of business are not going to arrive at some point in the future - they're already here, states Lauren Timmer-Somer, head of communication and technology services at Ricoh SA.
While the industry may call these innovations `disruptive technologies', Timmer-Somer believes technological advancements have unlocked a broader range of potential for all businesses, regardless of industry or size. "It boils down to a scenario where the big brands are no longer the de facto leaders of a market or segment just because they have a big brand, big name, or big money. Smaller companies can now use affordable technology to rapidly break into and lead sectors, markets and segments. This forces companies to adapt or run the risk of being overtaken by younger, smarter people.
"Video conferencing is just the tip of the spear," she concludes. "When you give employees the ability to share voice and video, and the ability to collaborate on documents while in separate locations (because documents drive so many business processes), then you give them the 360-degree scope they need to work from anywhere, at any time and with anyone."
Is Skype enough?
For many SMEs, Skype is an ideal video-calling service. But Adrian Bush, MD of Even Flow Distribution, an authorised local distributor of Yealink, a Chinese VC and IP phone vendor, cautions against viewing free conferencing apps like Skype as professional business tools. "There is a saying that goes, 'dress for the job you want, not the job you have'. Perception is reality. We always say to clients, if they want to be perceived as a cutting-edge, professional business from the get-go, they should consider a fail-safe video conferencing system." According to Bush, businesses should consider these five factors when trying to find the best fit to meet their conferencing needs:
Reliability: Free video conferencing services don't offer a performance guarantee. Clients run the risk of poor call quality or dropped calls due to network issues, which could harm the organisation's reputation and image.
Improved visual and audio quality: A professional video conferencing solution (VCS) supports full-HD dual systems and advanced quality cameras. A VCS phone has several built-in microphone arrays so call participants won't have to shout across the room.
Ease of use: With a professional VCS plug-and-play, installation is quick and fuss-free, and built-in security features mean there's no need for firewall configuration.
Management and support: Backed by 24/7 support, professional conferencing solutions offer scheduling capabilities, software updates and reporting over a controlled and secure network infrastructure.
Unlimited access: Many platforms limit multi-party calling, but professional systems allow for multiple participants to join the call in a more secure, controlled and reliable way.
Taking things slow
The biggest error most organisations make when implementing a remote working strategy is to take the big bang approach and move all employees off-site, immediately. This is a mistake, says SkyGroup Communications' Marius van Wyk. He champions a phased approach.
"For example, get select employees to start working from home once or twice a week and gradually increase the amount of days over a period of three to six months." This trial period enables managers to reassess their management style and affords them the opportunity to make any changes that may be necessary. "This phased approach also provides the company with key insight into what additional technology tools and/or processes are required."
To assume that you will simply be able to shift your employees out of the office without any teething problems is rather foolish, Van Wyk continues. With changes in working environments come changes in job requirements, communication expectations and processes. When working in an office, managers can see that staff members are meeting their targets, but they are less able to keep an eye on remote workers. Virtual workforces have to be disciplined enough to populate their calendar with a detailed account of their activities, for example, so that they have a virtual diary of what they've been up to. The potential of a remote workforce is there, it's just about finding the right processes to ensure that everyone is on the same page, he notes. And this certainly doesn't happen overnight.
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