FOCUS FEATURE


FLEXIBLE WORKING


Keep on runnin’


One of the positives to emerge from the coronavirus crisis is the realisation, by many businesses, of the benefits that can be gained from remote or flexible working. With workplaces up and down the country closed during lockdown, many employers have been taking advantage of the technology available to enable them to keep things moving. Business Network checks in with Chamber patron Highlander UK to take a closer look at the issue.


Before the coronavirus crisis started to bite, many businesses still viewed remote working as a nice to have but non-essential business tool. However, since lockdown restrictions were imposed, it


has become critical to the way many firms have been able to stay open, keep connected with their staff and provide an ongoing service to their customers. Much has been written about remote and agile working


and the benefits it brings to organisations which fully embrace it. While some companies have thrown themselves down


the rabbit hole, adopting the technology and becoming advocates of the benefits it brings, many still take a more traditional approach. But Covid-19 has changed the world and the way we do


business. Now, more than ever, firms of all sizes have been forced


into a situation where remote working is the only way they can stay open and have had to change their approach accordingly. Thankfully, we live in a world where the technology to


enable us to stay connected 24/7, to share important documents, to communicate, to collaborate, is readily available. While the ongoing coronavirus crisis will no doubt claim


many casualties in business, the technology and flexible working practices will enable others to thrive. And when this is all over, regardless of what the


economy looks like when it is, many firms will emerge with a new perspective on remote working and will change the way they operate to accommodate more flexible ways of doing business. Some of the benefits of remote working are obvious. It means people can collaborate from wherever they are


in the world, in real time, without having to be in the same physical location. It enhances productivity and performance, with


automation helping to improve processes for increased efficiency. It also helps to create stronger engagement and loyalty –


when teams feel more engaged, it improves morale which has a knock-on effect on the way a business might be perceived by its customers. And it also helps with staff retention, with many people


now looking for roles which come with a degree of flexibility to help them achieve a better work-life balance. This is a critical consideration for companies which want


to retain the most highly skilled people within their workforce. It’s perhaps surprising that many organisations still place


40 business network May 2020


‘While remote working can bring many benefits to business, it’s only by investing in the right technology that they can be fully realised’


flexible working on the periphery of their business, rather than as a key part of it. But current world events have changed that view and


many firms are now waking up to the benefits it can bring. But, it’s important to remember that while remote


working can bring many benefits to business, it’s only by investing in the right technology that they can be fully realised. Ryan Connolly, Client Services Director at Chamber


patron Highlander UK, said: “There are some common- sense steps firms can take that aren’t really technology focused, but are crucial in terms of making sure they are able to have a flexible workforce. “Many companies might not have even considered this


before the current situation began and would have preferred their people to be working from the office rather than remotely. That whole outlook is going to completely change now for a lot of businesses. “I think the current situation has prompted many firms to


put a plan in place and then look at the technology they need to support it, because a lot of them might not have had that in place when the coronavirus crisis started.


Chamber patron Highlander UK’s Ryan Connolly


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