The business world is ever-changing, but the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic has put those change processes into overdrive. And perhaps the most significant of those changes is the dramatic surge in remote work.
While the virtual office did not begin with the pandemic, the outbreak has certainly contributed to the increased popularity of remote work. This increasing popularity is due not only to health considerations but also to the convenience and cost-savings that these new work-from-home warriors have discovered in the remote working environment. But what does the popularization of remote work mean for business owners?
The Need for Flexibility
Creating a healthy and productive remote work environment means that you can’t just go about business as usual. Literally. The old formulae for keeping the physical office humming with happy and high-performing workers generally won’t translate to the virtual office.
Your remote workers are likely going to need greater flexibility than they would have required in the traditional office, particularly since they’re also going to be contending with distractions they wouldn’t face on campus. Even employees who have their own dedicated home office may still require more frequent breaks or a more flexible shift to take care of other home responsibilities, from helping the kids with their schoolwork to making sure elderly parents have their meals and medication.
Additionally, your remote employees are likely to need your support in maintaining a proper work-life balance, because the remote office can easily lead employees to feel pressured to always be working. And, without your emphasizing your employees’ well-being while also modeling your own self-care, then you’re inevitably creating the conditions for burnout, low productivity, decreased job satisfaction, and attrition in your workforce.
The Need for Support
Chances are, many, if not most, of your employees may be new to the remote work environment. So that means they will need not only your flexibility but also your support, both professional and emotional.
From a professional standpoint, employees may need training to enable them to learn to use any new remote work technologies. They will also likely need clarification on what is expected of them in this new work environment, including whether they are expected to adhere to their regular work shift or if they are required to attend daily video conferences.
Professional support also means that you should be expected to provide your employees with whatever they may need to work productively from home. This could include anything from reimbursing employees for their home office furniture and equipment to comping their internet, cell, and landline costs.
However, your responsibility to support your employees extends beyond their specific work duties. You also need to be a source of emotional support, as remote work can be challenging for some employees, who may experience loneliness, depression, or anxiety when working from home. Because of this, you should be prepared to support your remote employees’ physical and mental well-being through a range of practices, from offering mental health coverages to providing employees with ample opportunities to connect with one another, both online and in person.
The Need for Clarity
It’s not only your employees who will need clarity as they engage in remote work. As a business owner, you will also need to have clarity in your remote work processes. One of the first and most important issues that you will need to clarify is the exact employment status of your workers. For example, full employees will entail different rights and responsibilities than do independent contractors.
So for legal, regulatory, and tax purposes, it’s imperative to define the status of your remote workers and to reflect that status in a written contract that you and your workers sign before you transition established employees to the virtual office or you onboard new hires for remote work.
The Takeaway
The popularization of remote work has significantly changed the way business owners today operate. This includes the need to offer employees greater flexibility and support than ever before. At the same time, it involves the necessity for operational clarity, including clearly defining the status of remote workers.
