For decades, American businesses have debated the best way to maximize employee output while keeping workers happy and turnover low. At the forefront of these debates have been the work from home discussions. However, technological advancements did not support this solution the way they do in our post-pandemic environment. Even now that the necessary tech is more available, many companies still are not offering remote work as a continued solution. The question is, why?
As a leader in technical workforce solutions, we’ve worked with hundreds of contractors, freelancers and business leaders only to find that they are all on the same page. Everyone wants to be able to offer a work from home solution but this decision requires further logistics
and infrastructure. “A recent survey of 2,000 working professionals and 1,000 hiring managers by LinkedIn found that 82% of workers want to work from home at least one day per week, and 57% want to work from home at least three days per week.”¹
Remote work may not currently be a viable full-time solution for every industry but we are seeing an increase in creative solutions and possibilities crop up that are not dependent on geography. Work-from-home has seen incredible growth, not just over the last few years
but over the last decade. The factors slowing down the shift stem from both companies and employees. Here’s why more jobs don’t offer the option to telecommute.
Making it a Priority
If it’s not broken, why fix it? Day-to-day business operations take precedence over implementing new solutions to overtake the existing commuter structure. Until something becomes uncomfortable, or stops working, it is often not a priority to install a better model.
office is not a necessity. In:
Shifting to Remote Work
There are many challenges a business will undergo as it adopts a telecommute model. Any business looking to shift must have a strategy in place to retrain employees, provide work from home equipment, restructure customer service protocols, and manage quality. Special attention must also be given to employees in impoverished neighborhoods or rural communities with limited internet service. These challenges make it difficult for business owners and leadership to smoothly implement a work from home option. How does the employee stay engaged with the distractions of home life? What level of communication is required? How is progress tracked?
There are great best practices and technological tools to help facilitate these transitions. Internal accountability solutions are helpful to maintain relationships and build trust. Don’t forget about the off-the-shelf apps available to you to help track time and project progress. We found building our own proprietary app was the best solution for us.
