Teleworking used to be telecommuting. Simply, it means working from home regularly. A self-employed person working from home is not described as telecommuting because of the two factors a) it’s just them in the business and b) home is the full time location of those businesses. With the development of lightweight devices, the growth of decent levels of Internet for the average home, and the development of cloud- based applications, it’s never been easier to introduce teleworking to your business. In this post are:
- Details of how your small business can benefit from teleworking
- The possible cons and how to overcome them
- Resources to help you learn more about teleworking and the future of work
How your business can benefit from teleworking
The pros are many and include economic, environmental and personal benefits. And, the pros apply to both employees and employers or any size business. Save on Rent – By introducing teleworking you can commit to less real estate overhead, saving yourself precious dollars that you can invest into marketing and growing the business Get and Keep Great Talent – At a time when the marketplace is especially competitive having the right talent on your team could mean going to where they are. Suppose you need a new bookkeeper. The most qualified person is a new mum who has daycare services available to her 3 days a week, but the fourth day she works for you she’s requested to work from home. Do you go for it? Well, it depends. But if she’s the best talent some creative thinking can keep her loyal and committed to your business AND give her the flexibility she needs. Work Life Balance – A friend of mine used to say to my partner jokingly, “Happy wife, happy life.” I’ll change that up to be “happy staff, happy life”. If a staff member is happier and feels rewarded by working one day a week from home (less time in traffic, less time spent commuting), the impact can be that they are more productive as well. Boost the Environment – Environment may not be top of mind when it comes to considering teleworking but as more businesses adopt this way of working we can have a positive impact on the environment as fewer cars are stalled in traffic and time spent crammed on public transport. It also means our local shop owners who are starved for business during the week may get some extra foot traffic from teleworkers looking to stretch their legs and to grab a sandwich.
But, how do I know my staff, are being effective?
For teleworking to be effective the arrangement needs to work for both the employer and the employee. Roles also need to be considered as some roles may not be suitable, or more creativity may be required to figure our how that may work. But, how do you manage a team member you can’t see? Managers (and business owners) will need to change how they measure productivity and effectiveness to KPIs and results rather than attendance. This applies whether we are talking about teleworking or not, but many people are paid because they ‘clock in’ rather than because of their output. Teleworking can be introduced as a reward and be clearly defined as not being an entitlement. A staff member who is spending their time chatting, gossiping or playing on Facebook is not going to be your prime candidate for a teleworking benefit, at least, not without some great monitoring and accountability tools in place. But a solid worker who has built trust with you and can self-manage will probably be more productive and committed to your businesses given the flexibility to have a little more work/life balance. Systems, communication and technical, right technology and exceptional communication systems are essential. Your team member needs to feel in contact and not isolated, part of team discussions and in the know. Those back at the office need to know that that person is not ‘having a day off’ but is a productive member of the team and is accessible.
We’re fans
One of our team, Scott, has been with us over six years and is based in Phoenix, in Arizona. Most days of the week we video-chat, he’s a part of our meetings and we use the time-zones to our advantage. Michele was a key part of the team for three years, is based in here in Sydney but worked from home three days a week while managing the content of the ABN’s website and blog and coordinating marketing. She also worked on some major projects like the overhaul of our blog and website, and found the quiet time at home best for this type of work which requires great focus.
Telecommuting is also a good idea for business owners
I worked from home every Thursday for about a year. Then, I fell out of the habit when I moved house and didn’t have my ideal home office. Around the same time I committed to office meetings a few Thursdays in a row and fell out of sync of my ideal routine. I miss that time which was usually spent writing and planning. Since January I’ve resumed this regular schedule, and while it’s not always on a Thursday that I work from home, I try and schedule at least one day a week at home. And, I use those days for planning, writing and more ‘work on the business’ types of tasks. Help get YOUR business in the cloud, and make it easier for you to telecommute. Download the Free – 10 Ways the Cloud is Great for Small Business ebook, here.
