In order to stay competitive with changing work patterns, most companies need to consider a policy for remote and flexible working.

With so many advances in technology, it doesn’t make sense for people to waste time commuting during peak hours, when they can work remotely, far more conveniently and efficiently.

Companies which focus on results, rather than the number of hours seen at a desk, will be able to attract the smartest, most personally responsible and accountable team members.

I can see a number of companies outsourcing to the best person, regardless of where they are located, whether in the UK or elsewhere. For example, my outsourced marketing contractor uses a graphic designer who lives in Canada.

There are still communication challenges which need to be effectively managed.

1) Communicating with colleagues

2) Concentrating on tasks to remain efficient

3) Struggling to access shared files

4) Issues with prioritising the workload

It doesn’t take long before these issues can begin to impact the business, so companies need to have effective communication solutions in place as it’s often easier to prevent rather than cure.

I believe the challenge can be overcome if companies use business management tools which promote provide effective collaboration between employees and allow all workers to feel involved in the business’ daily operations.

Making flexible working work

1. Regardless of where employees are based and work, it helps to have an efficient and documented human resources process, including scheduled quarterly conversations, half year and annual reviews in order to track and assess personal productivity and creating a results-oriented culture.
2. With this process and system in place, it becomes essential to hold regular company meetings, sometimes called “all-hands meetings” or “state of the company” meetings, to link departments, foster healthy cohesive teams, and communicate as a whole the vision of the organisation and the plan on how to make that happen.

3. The Entrepreneurial Operating System recommends holding a weekly leadership team meeting (the “Level 10” meeting). At Bold Clarity, we find this is a great way to resolve business issues, which may be affecting staff in multiple locations. 

By involving the whole leadership team, regardless of their location, it can strengthen levels of communication and improve the inclusion of distant members of the team.

4. The correct technology is key. It needs to take into account business structure, geographical barriers, business objectives, time zones and successful methods of communication.

There are now a whole host of business management tools which can be used to facilitate remote and flexible working.

A great example is the implementation of a cloud-based CRM and project management system, which allows multiple teams to track progress, manage workflows, allocate budgets, align their goals and meet strict deadlines regardless of their location in the world.

At Bold Clarity we use group and department WhatsApp groups, we use Trello to track topics and projects, we use the EOS software Traction Tools to track accountability, actions, to dos and weekly numbers, and we hold most of our meetings on Zoom, for video conferencing and sharing screens so everyone is on the same page.

Changing our working mindset 

For all of this to work, we need to change the mindset of how we work – both as employers and employees, and embrace remote and flexible working. Employers need to trust their staff to get on with the job and have a system in place which sets with clear expectations they can be measured by. Employees need to take responsibility for meeting those expectations without the need to be micromanaged.

Please contact us today to discover some business management tools which will help you run your business more efficiently. on +44 (0)7795 667480  to introduce our services to you and your team.