Contributions of Remote Staff Workers
The COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 forced companies to find solutions to the stay-at-home mandates. The most viable solution was to offer remote work options for employees. In April 2020, 46% of the UK’s workforce became work-from-home employees. This includes nearly 50% of Black employees, a number that has steadily increased by July 2022.
The virtual work option helped prevent a slowdown in production, while workers were sent home with company equipment to complete assigned tasks. Black employees also found personal advantages during this shift, with the majority preferring a form of hybrid employment over staying in the office.
A significant benefit was not adjusting to office politics, unconscious bias, or racism in the workplace. Employees also reported enjoying a better work-life balance and the ability to multitask in ways that are impossible in a traditional work setting.
Hybrid work is especially beneficial to entrepreneurs and those who take on side work to generate multiple income streams. Working parents also gained significant benefits by caring for children who could not attend daycare or were learning virtually due to schools being closed.
Promoting Remote Working
In this new climate, corporations faced all new challenges. Since the option to work from home has become the expectation, businesses must adjust to employee needs while keeping the agency’s goals at the forefront.
Organisations can take steps to rearrange their workplace cultures by prioritising employee engagement and creating tangible avenues for advancement for deserving remote workers.
Executives should intentionally build interpersonal relationships with employees and find respectful interest in their personal lives. People are more likely to be engaged in their work and feel more driven to perform their duties when they feel valued, specifically from the top level.
It is imperative to prevent the high turnover rates that occur when employees feel they cannot grow within the company. It is easier to feel left behind without face-to-face interaction in the traditional setting, so employers should hone in on company communication and ensure information regarding advancement reaches all levels.
They can take advantage of the many peer-to-peer tech options and programs to make virtual work and communication more straightforward and accessible across the agency.
Keeping the technology updated is helpful to communication and ease of work. It can be utilised to crack down on security. Providing exceptional IT support helps employees feel safe from breaches and cyber-attacks. It also minimises the downtime created by such obstacles, which increases productivity.
Remote and hybrid working proved to be a new world for employees and employers. With an open approach to new techniques and technology, companies can tackle any issues that arise. They can further help attract and retain their valuable remote staff.
Find out more
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