5 steps managers need to take to turn remote work into a competitive advantage

A Stanford University study shows that on average, remote workers are 13.5% more productive than in-office employees. But this productivity windfall doesn’t happen automatically. A successful remote working transition requires a clear plan and a strong understanding of staff needs.

Businesses across the world are considering the role of remote work in the post-COVID world. But most office employees don’t want to work remotely full-time. Building 20 research suggests that on average we want to work remotely around half the time.

Getting the balance right and allowing people to enter remote work at their own pace are key strategies for a successful transition to remote work, and most businesses have a lot to learn about remote working.

Why now is the perfect time

Transitioning teams to remote work requires a clear and consistent strategy to ensure the changes required for effective remote work are accepted and stick. Social scientist Kurt Lewin illustrated the change process as a three-stage model:

Stage 1: Unfreeze

Initially, you need to break down the status quo and prepare teams to accept that change is needed. This means showing the problems with the status quo and challenging the attitudes supporting it. Doing this creates the motivation to find a more effective approach.

Stage 2: Change

Once you’ve upset the status quo, it’s time to resolve this uncertainty with new ideas. To ensure everyone pulls together in the new direction, it is important to educate your staff about how the changes will benefit both your business and your staff.

Stage 3: Refreeze

Stage 3 involves settling into a new normal. Management practices, workflows, and team structures should stabilise in this period. Make sure to take the time to reflect and celebrate with your team to create closure and satisfaction.

One advantage that organisations have at the moment is that thanks to the disruptions of coronavirus, they’re unfrozen. New remote working norms are forming but will remain in a state of flux until the pandemic is under control. 

Starting in this unfrozen state removes a huge effort for the change manager and means that now is the time to consider how remote work will feature in your organisation’s future.

Piloting your program

When COVID is under control, it will be important to take a measured and evidence-based approach to the balance between office and remote work. When it comes to remote work, not everything is obvious -- just look at the findings on the importance of bursty communication or Zoom fatigue. Trial-and-error is going to be important before you bake remote work into your organisation’s post-COVID ways of working.

Starting with a small pilot program is a good way forward if a big push seems too risky.

It’s important to identify the right teams to pilot your post-COVID remote work program with. Besides the suitability of their tasks for remote working, the technology needed for each team must be considered -- hopefully most tech solutions will be mastered during the enforced work from home period but some things like using a scheduling platform to optimise the number of people in the office will need to be considered. 

Collect data

Social isolation is one of the most common complaints of remote workers, with 21% citing it as a major concern in Buffer’s State Of Remote Work survey. Early detection enables you to tackle issues like this by providing informal communication channels and more social interaction opportunities.

Pay attention to how the switch to remote work affects your teams’ productivity and key performance metrics. Additionally, collect feedback and surveys from staff to understand how they feel about the changes. These are vital for spotting and addressing the issues employees are having with the change and provide the tools and training for productive remote work.

Equip your staff

According to research by Fellowes, a staggering 79% of UK office workers have reported health issues due to poor posture, often because of avoidable issues such as working from a laptop.

Setting aside any role-specific tools and requirements, ensuring workers have a productive work area is an important part of preparing teams to work remotely. Create a budget for office furniture, and provide education on correct posture as well as encouraging exercise and healthy eating. 

Our recent work with clients suggests an average of $500 per employee is enough to ensure their remote workspace set-up won’t have a negative impact on their health or productivity. Here are 6 evidence-based principles that should help:

1. Hunched Over Laptop Syndrome is an actual thing. If you don't have a desktop computer then you need a laptop stand along with an external mouse and keyboard ASAP.

2. Plants give you more than just oxygen. Research shows that having a plant in your field of vision increases productivity, creativity, and reduces stress.

3. A space to call you own. Our research shows that people with a distinct workspace feel more productive. A distinct space also helps you to have a clearer line between work and life.

4. Keep it clean. The average person wastes 4.3 hours a week trying to locate the work documents they need, that's more than a month per year.

5. Keep it down! The optimal noise level for office work is between 48 and 52 decibels, above 65 is distracting.

6. Let there be light. Your home office should be lit between 300-500 lux to avoid straining your eyes. There are plenty of free lux meter apps for your phone if you want to know if your lighting situation works.

Schedule effectively to save money on rent

Building 20 research suggests the savings are around $1433-1654 per employee each year if staff move to half time remote work. But that saving is only going to be available if you manage your space well. 

Optimising the use of office space through remote work will be vital as COVID-19 restrictions begin to lift. If scheduling office / remote time is executed well, you’ll reap the savings from being able to downsize or sub-lease. A scheduling platform like Skedda should do the trick.

Don’t underestimate the importance and complexity of scheduling, as getting the right people around the water cooler at the right time is vital. 

Start putting together a strategy now

Your business can’t afford to be unprepared to work when COVID-19 restrictions lift. You need to collect the data and create a solid plan for your company’s transition out of the lockdown. There’s a small window of opportunity where you won’t have to do the hard work of unfreezing to make remote work a competitive advantage. Make sure you use it!

This article first appeared on the Building 20 blog at https://www.building20.co/blog/remote-transition.