How to manage flexible work hours

Remote working is steadily increasing, with 46 per cent of UK professionals now operating from home 2.5 days a week. Here, Richard Morris, UK CEO at Regus, shares some advice on how businesses can make remote working a success.

June 30, 2017 marked three years since flexible working rights were extended to millions of workers across the UK.

Flexible working has soared in popularity as businesses and workers recognise the productivity advantages to be gained from a more agile approach. Our own figures at Regus reveal that, on average, 46 per cent of UK professionals work from remote locations 2.5 days a week or more.

This new way of working has introduced many new management challenges for business leaders who are looking to get the best out of their remote teams.

Provide professional workspace
Companies who are looking to make remote working a success for their business must be careful not to confuse flexible hours with homeworking. Certainly, the option to work from home once in a while is welcomed by most professionals, but home set-ups are rarely optimised in terms of important factors such as ergonomics and lighting, and for many, isolation is an issue. In order to get the best out of remote workers, the onus is on companies to provide a professional, productive workspace, which has been designed with both productivity and wellbeing in mind. These spaces now exist in almost every town and city in the UK, enabling people to turn up at a time that suits them and to work productively among other professionals. Compared to many homeworking set-ups, the latest workspaces deliver fast broadband, ergonomic desks and seating, optimised lighting and a variety of space areas either for collaboration or quiet concentration. Studies have shown that working flexibly in this way stimulates productivity and enhances employees’ wellbeing.

Keep in contact
We recently surveyed professionals to ask them about how – and how often – they expected to communicate when working remotely. 74 per cent of respondents agreed that remote workers and managers should stay connected via instant messaging apps and telephone.

Frequent phone communication was considered important, with 84 per cent of professionals believing that managers should speak with remote workers several times a week. And over half, (55 per cent), believe video calls should be implemented at least once a week.

Rethink performance evaluation
When measuring the performance of remote workers, it’s important to move away from the old attitude that equates productivity with time spent at the desk. Instead, establish new protocols that move away from judging productivity on ‘presenteeism’ and use results as the benchmark for performance.

By following these simple steps, you will ensure that you get the most out of your remote workers.