Working remotely: best practices for SMEs

Due to the growing coronavirus outbreak, the world is going through one of the worst health crises of the last few years and companies have been forced to implement remote working policies for their workforce. But are small and medium-sized enterprises prepared to handle this situation and control the process of their teams? Here are some of the highlights and best practices that are helping to protect employees and prevent deaths.

What does it mean work remotely?

This is defined as any work that is performed in a non-centralised location. Remote jobs can range from working at home for just one day to working online all week or working outside in a satellite office. There are even entirely remote companies that operate a distributed model, with teams being entirely channelled through the use of digital tools. The idea is that employees who don’t need to be in the office “travel” via telecommunication channels like phones, email and video conferencing.

The latest report by Global Workplace Analytics, created by Kate Liste, reveals some relevant facts about American workers:

• 62% of employees say they could work remotely
• 80% to 90% of people say they’d like to telework for at least part of the week
• 36% would choose telework over a pay raise, and 37% would take a pay cut
• For 95% of companies, telework increases employee retention
• 6 in 10 employers enjoy significant cost savings as a result of telework

The chart below shows the percentage of people who work at home by industry. A total of 463,000 disabled employees regularly work from home (using the home as ‘reasonable accommodation’ per the Americans with Disabilities Act), which is 7.1% of all disabled people.

Moreover, the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs report emphasised some of the drivers of change in the workplace that are currently impacting UK industries. The top trend is mobile internet and cloud technology with 49%, followed by changing the nature of work and flexible work…