Being flexible is a key selling point for securing new employees as well as maintaining the productivity and happiness of your current staff.

Working from home and flexible working is becoming increasingly popular for businesses of all sizes. So long as you have a computer or laptop and an internet connection, most companies can offer flexible working. Plus, more than you and your staff benefit.

Flexible working can help you and your staff save money, increase productivity, happiness and it will benefit the environment. But how can you do it and what do you need to put in place? eCo2 Greetings is here to explain what you need to do.

Read on to find out how you can implement a flexible working system and why you should offer working from home…

Why should you offer flexible working?

When it comes to working from home, there have always been two camps. One believes employees won’t get anything done and the other believes they will be more productive.

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Of course, some staff prefer to be in the office. It can be down to preferring physical contact, believing they will be too distracted at home or just don’t want to. You shouldn’t try to force flexible working on people or move to completely remote working without complete agreement.

Here are some benefits of working remotely…

Health

People who work from home have an easier time eating healthily and striking a manageable work-life balance compared to those that don’t.

Eating healthier and having much more time to spend with family or friends can help you feel less stressed. This will help make for a happier and more productive workday. Staff can save a lot of stressful hours that would have been spent commuting. They can make a comfortable work environment and spend more time with family.

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If you ask people why they like to work from home, most will respond that a flexible work environment relieves the amount of stress in their lives. Many employees can work at any hour wherever we are located, so it makes sense that the line between work and life has blurred. Working from home can help rebalance that issue.

Remote working also allows for more time or breaks to let staff stay active. Employees can go to the gym in the middle of the day, take a walk or do errands to have a break. Ensuring staff take these sorts of breaks can allow them to sit back down at work more focused. Health will improve because their lives are balanced – they have time to actually live their life.

Save Money on Commutes

We’ve already touched on commutes from a health standpoint but the financial side is just as big. Imagine how much money they can save on rail season tickets, for example.

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It could be that your employees have a commute that leaves them frustrated before even starting work at their desk. Think how much happier they could be if they didn’t have to go through it each day. Furthermore, how much money they could save on petrol money and passes for public transport. Stress, health and expenses are all reduced.

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If you speak to your staff, you could find yourself surprised by what they have to do and go through to get to the office. Add to this that they may have family commitments and remote working becomes much more understandable. You could be shocked by the sheer difficulty it is for staff to get to the office each day. Listen to them and ask for their insight.

Employers Saving Money

It’s not just employees that benefit, remote and flexible working is advantageous for businesses, including financially.

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For employers, telecommuting can limit absences, increase productivity, and save money. Workers can pick and choose when to reach their weekly hour limit. Letting employees design their schedule can help them manage their obligations and workload more effectively. This, therefore, will boost their productivity and your business.

You can also enhance your recruiting process by moving to remote work – or at least offering it. You can hire the best of the best while not limiting yourself by geographical restrictions. There should be no difference in job satisfaction or work performance as a result. Telecommuting can also save money because staff pay for their electricity and utilities.

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For some companies, working from home can fit more hours in the day. We’re not encouraging you to get your staff work excessively long but every hour is important. This is especially true for small businesses and new companies. By saving an hour each day commuting, that time could go to building out your product and business.

Carbon Footprint

Besides finance, one of the key savings that you can make, as a business owner, is on your carbon footprint – thanks to remote working.

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Naturally, if you take away the commutes, you remove a considerable amount of carbon dioxide expelled by your workforce. This can be from them driving or getting public transport to the office. Seriously, think of the things you and your employees at work do that may leave a carbon footprint. It’s much more than just travel.

The daily commute is one but so are using air conditioners, leaving appliances running and plugged in and non-energy efficient lighting. The same can be said for meetings. Not all meetings can be done by video, but where possible, try to do so. It will seriously reduce your carbon footprint but cut travel.

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Being eco-friendly is now a large consideration among new hires and stakeholders. Proving you can and are making this move will be reflected in your reputation and could even lead to more customers. Reducing your carbon footprint is beneficial to everyone involved in your business and will be reflected in your finances, culture and employees.

How to implement a remote working policy

Now that we’ve discussed the benefits of working from home, now it’s time to discuss how you work from home. You can’t just send your employees away and that’s it. A policy is what you need.

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You must have clear guidelines in your work from home policy. Failing to pay attention to detail can have serious repercussions, particularly if your employee isn’t monitored properly. From communication to expenses, you need to put it all in writing so your employees know what to do and what to expect. It’s all about a smooth transition from your office to theirs.

Here are just some of the things you will need to consider for your policy…

Set Expectations

You need to set clear expectations for all remote workers, which may be easier if you have a system such as Teamwork or Asana where you can plot tasks.

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Expectations include the hours your staff should put in and communication via instant messaging, video chat, or phone. Inform employees of meeting schedules and always make sure they are available for communications, priorities, and updates. Platforms like Gmail can do this with Hangouts, as an example.

Set expectations for the quality and output of each employee’s work. Identify the attitude and skills that will enable remote employees to perform at their best and deliver work to usual standards. Set deadlines on your tasks as you normally would do to ensure productivity.

Communication

Effective communication is one of the biggest challenges in managing virtual employees but it is now considerably easier.

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Remote workers are only reachable by digital platforms, so you need to make sure each employee has access to email and other communication. They may be prone to missing important messages for a number of issues, so allow leeway. There is little reason, with what’s available, for communication to be poor when it comes to remote working.

Use multiple forms of communication and encourage workers to attend regular meetings via video conferencing. You could schedule meetings in the mornings and afternoons to allow them to check-in and discuss what they will be doing or have done throughout the day.

Clarify Expenses

While working from home ensures employees save money on and other costs, they may have higher expenses at home.

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Internet, phone charges, electricity and other utilities are just some of the expenses that working from home will account for. This is before the potential need for office supplies, such as desks, chairs and other equipment. It may well offset the money they save in mileage. Ideally, you should have equipment staff can use at home, such as laptops.

You may want to establish an employee allowance or reimbursement for these things. Your business should definitely pay for any software you require. You will also need to clarify in writing all expenses and limits you’ll provide to employees so it’s clear to them.

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Contact us today to discover how we can help your business.