Software developer ChangeBase has operated a remote working scheme since it started up six years ago.
‘We decided we wouldn’t be an office-centric company so we needed to create the technical infrastructure and the working patterns to make that possible,’ managing director John Tate says.
The business mainly employs people with a technical background and Tate explains that having a remote working policy means it can hire from all over the UK. ‘We look for talented individuals and we don’t want to be restricted,’ he adds.
Tate admits that investing in the right equipment to enable mobile and remote working has not been ‘straightforward’. Every employee has a laptop and access to the email system and offline copies of documents. But when the company’s network started crashing frequently, Tate made the decision to switch service providers.
‘We’ve had to spend a surprising amount of money on improving the quality of our infrastructure to make sure that it works. We spend a five-figure sum a year on hosting support. If you want to be serious about remote working, you do have to invest in it,’ he says.
Attracting talent
Pam Calvert, managing director of marketing consultancy Communications Management, believes that if companies want to hire and retain talent, they should provide flexible working options.
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‘A few years ago there were some skills shortages in the PR industry. As a management team, we recognised that flexibility and remote working would make us attractive as an employer,’ she explains.
As a result, all of the company’s employees are equipped to be able to work from home. Calvert says that its investment in the technology to support its policy has been ‘relatively limited’, and believes that small businesses are in a good position to adopt a flexible or remote working scheme. ‘It is a great opportunity for small businesses to differentiate themselves,’ she concludes.
Employee needs
Shirley Borrett, development director at the Teleworks Association, explains that 2003 saw the introduction of a government policy offering parents of children under the age of six the right to request flexible working as part of the Employment Act.
‘That gave flexible/home-based working more visibility,’ she says, but adds that it should not be confused with maternity and paternity leave.
Borrett explains that a remote working policy encourages loyalty and productivity among staff, which benefits the employer. However, in order to reap those benefits, she believes organisations need to understand their employees’ communication and social needs.
She adds, ‘Working from home often suits people who have been in the workforce a while, know what their job is and are good at self-management.’
Remote working continues to grow in popularity among small businesses
Half of all employees now work out of the office at least once a week with more than one in four working out of the office every day, research finds.
When working outside the office, many participants undertake a variety of in-depth tasks that require particular time to focus and think clearly. Fifty per cent of respondents use the time away from office to work on their finances, whilst 17 per cent use the time to complete planning.
Some 15 per cent of people work while commuting on the bus or train, according to research of 1,000 company owners conducted by business software provider Sage.
Furthermore, one in 20 have now made the great outdoors their office, having completed work either up a mountain or on a beach.
While the standard location for remote working may be considered coffee shops or internet cafes, some remote workers report unusual settings for their endeavours, with one respondent working from a cow barn and another firing up their laptop at a rifle range.
The research suggests that time away from the office positively impacts productivity, with more than half of respondents saying they are more or equally productive out of the office as in the office.
The increase in remote working is being underpinned by faster broadband speeds and better IT infrastructure enabling business people to access their critical business information wherever they are, when they need it over the internet.
Steve Attwell, managing director for Sage’s small and medium business division says, ‘Mobile working has broken down the barriers to business and the traditional confines of an office are a thing of the past.
‘Thanks to proliferation of mobile devices and sophisticated software solutions accessible on any device, people have the freedom to choose where they run their business – be it the boardroom, bedroom or a hilltop.’
