Having employees working from home can result in a range of business benefits including increased productivity, greater staff motivation and retention. This article outlines the advantages and disadvantages of working from home, plus some key issues to consider when introducing home working in an organisation.
Advantages
Reduced stress and absenteeism, leading to happier, more motivated employees.
Improved staff retention, and greater recruitment pool i.e. people unable to work normal office hours (e.g. those with carer responsibilities, or disabled people) can be considered for employment.
Reduced physical costs e.g. no need to provide car parking, savings on office space and other facilities.
Productivity gains – employees are less likely to be interrupted, so they can spend more time working with clients or customers. They do not spend time commuting, freeing up more of their time to dedicate to work.
Disadvantages
It may be difficult to manage and monitor home workers, as managers are not on hand to observe their performance.
Working from home is not suitable for every type of job.
Communication could be a problem, leading to a sense of isolation among home workers.
There could be a potential deterioration in employees’ skills and work quality. Social skills may be underdeveloped, or quality of work may suffer if employees are not kept up to date with recent developments in their organisation.
There may be cost implications in terms of provision of suitable equipment and telecommunications.
It may be harder to schedule meetings with home workers.
There may be implications for data security issues, as sensitive organisational information may not be completely secure.
Key considerations for employers
Occupations and skills should be appropriate for home working. Some types of job lend themselves to home working quite easily. Examples of these include writing work, some administrative work, telesales/marketing, accounting, and consultancy. Working from home is not suitable for everyone. The most effective home workers will have a variety of qualities and skills. They will be trustworthy, self-disciplined, self-motivated and mature. They should be skilled time managers and communicators, and they should have excellent technology skills, i.e. be able to use the hardware and software needed to do their job effectively.
Organisations may be required to provide, install and maintain equipment. Unless the employee has their own equipment, it is likely that the organisation will have to provide and install it. Examples of equipment that may be required include: desk, chair, filing cabinet or storage, PC and software/hardware (printer), internet connection, separate telephone and telephone line, fax machine, and stationery/office supplies. Any equipment supplied will need to be insured by the organisation.
Employee contracts may need to be amended. Place of work is generally included in an employee’s written terms and conditions of employment, so this may need to be altered when they begin working from home. Other contractual elements that may need to be changed include: hours of work, extra duties or responsibilities, terms of supply and maintenance of equipment (i.e. organisation will insure equipment but it may not be used for personal reasons).
Health and safety will still be an issue. Organisations have the same requirement to ensure the health and safety of employees working from home as those based at their premises. Among other requirements, organisations will need to ensure equipment is safe and fit to use; the employee’s workspace has adequate lighting and is properly insured; the employee is trained to work safely and records are kept of any accidents, illnesses or injuries experienced by people when working at home.
Home workers will still need to be managed effectively. Working from home needs to be managed and monitored properly in order to be successful and bring about benefits. This can be challenging for managers, however measuring output rather than the hours worked may be one way of assessing performance. It is good practice to agree goals and deadlines with the home worker. From this, the manager will easily be able to monitor whether or not targets are being met, and will be able to provide feedback if there are any significant problems. Investing in training employees, and helping them develop the skills they need for home working (e.g. time management, report writing, IT training), means that organisations will be able to reap the benefits of more skilled and productive home workers. The feeling of isolation experienced by many people working from home is one factor that can make home working fail. It is important to have systems in place that assure people they are still part of the team. Examples of effective inclusion methods are: regular visits to the workplace, invites to social events, frequent feedback and monitoring sessions with managers, and provision of key contact people for advice or guidance.
Conclusion
Home working does not necessarily mean that the employee has to work at home all of the time. Sometimes the most effective arrangement can be working alternately, between home and the workplace. This can help to keep home workers informed about any organisational developments and maintain their place in the loop so that they do not feel completely isolated. It is then easier for managers to monitor and motivate employees who they do not see on a day-to-day basis.
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