Hot Topic - Working from anywhere, working for you!
Hot Topic – Working from anywhere, working for you!
Flexible working, hybrid working, even agile working (our favourite!); whatever you call it, it’s here to stay.
As I write this blog from my home office on a Friday afternoon, knowing there’s no lengthy commute back to the family for the weekend, working remotely feels like a huge benefit. I still value my time in the office, especially on collaborative projects involving the team. But I’m convinced that I put in more productive hours working from home, as well as enjoying a better work/life balance.
I’m not alone; the Covid pandemic introduced a lot of white-collar workers to the benefits of working from home. The website vpnalert.com reports that 38% of millennials now want to work remotely for 50% of the working week. And although the number of full-time remote workers has dropped since the relaxation of lockdown, the number of hybrid workers in the UK rose from 13% in February 2022 to 23% by May ’22. Hybrid is the new mainstream.
But transitioning from full-time in the office to a blend of office and remote work isn’t easy for everyone. So these are my three top tips for making working from anywhere work for you;
1 ) Make sure you can put your work away, out of sight, at the end of each day. We all need time to switch off from our jobs and, if you’re like me, just a glimpse of the laptop or notepad during down time can have your head back buzzing with work related thoughts.
2) Don’t get cut off from your co-workers. Yes, it takes a little more effort to speak to people when you haven’t just bumped into each other at the coffee machine, but scheduling remote meetings and 1-2-1s is vital to maintain the sense of team.
3) Set clear boundaries between work and personal life. It is one of the perks of hybrid working that you can take a delivery, run a personal errand or hang the washing out. But too many home distractions can ruin a productive working day. Try to block out time at the start of each day for opportunities to take 5 minutes here and there, even if it’s just to chill after a long virtual meeting. And be disciplined about limiting yourself to that.
If this is a “hot topic” for you at the moment, you may be interested to read advice on the subject from UK government body ACAS.
As well as our own team working at a distance, the services offered by Agility EOR are very much about supporting remote workers. Whilst our clients value our expertise in multi-jurisdictional payroll and HR, we will be just as happy to chat you about how best to support your employees with their agile working!
Sam Barnes
Sales Director