Remote working

For some industries and professions, remote working has always been the norm. But the Covid Pandemic has fundamentally redefined working practices in all industries and professions. During the pandemic, remote working became the norm industry-wide and created a challenge to business leaders in how they manage and communicate internally, to their teams, and externally, to their clients and suppliers. How successfully a business offsets and mitigates these challenges will determine the performance and stability of that business, which in turn, brings considerable benefits and opportunities, for the business, its employees, and when best practices are embedded, to its clients. This has been increasingly recognised as the new working model post-pandemic for many organisations .In a recent poll conducted by the BBC, almost all of 50 of the UK's biggest employers questioned have said they do not plan to bring staff back to the office full-time and will continue to operate a work-from-home/hybrid policy.

Critical to the success of a remote or hybrid working model is the prevention of a ‘silo’ or ‘bubble’ environment from becoming established, where teams become individuals, where managers no longer lead but administer, and where businesses lose focus on the corporate objectives and values they have worked so diligently to establish. 

Internal

Good leaders have always been excellent communicators but understanding how to effectively communicate to a remote workforce can challenge even the most experienced leader. The more experienced a leader is, the more challenging it can be to adapt and change what once were effective communication processes to the new norm of remote working. Whilst there is an understandable focus on technology to create closer working relationships in a remote environment, this alone will not bridge the divides that will now exist. There is a fine balancing act for any business leader to be both attentive, supportive, and communicative whilst not encroaching on the personal and professional ‘space’ of their employees. Managing remotely is an essential skill set for all managers, with verbal, written, and visual communication key to successful operations. 

External

Face to Face meetings between supplier and client has long been considered an essential prerequisite of any successful business relationship. Meeting in person facilitated professional and social interactions that are the bedrock of many businesses’ commercial success. However, even pre-pandemic, organisations were increasingly reviewing the necessity of such meetings. For some, awareness of the costs associated with face-to-face meetings led to a review. For others, consideration of the environmental impact of travel to and from and meetings was at odds with a corporate green policy. For others, the advancement of technology systems to enable remote video meetings provided the same benefits as a visit to the client. Where there was a slow movement towards less and less ‘business’ travel, regulations and restrictions on travel because of the pandemic have fast-tracked this. Organisations have had to adapt quickly to business environments where in-person meet and greet is the exception, not the norm, where compelling and persuading a potential client to do business with your organisation must be conducted remotely and when the implementation of a contract requires project management based on exceptional communication and transparency. 

This Is Where ATO Assists

We have more than 20 years of experience leading multidiscipline, multinational individuals working either exclusively or in hybrid remote/office settings. Conducting business remotely is a specialism of ATO, gained from both practice and necessity with the industries we have worked in over the last two decades. We have managed remote-based teams, across a multinational and disciplinary remit, servicing clients from Finland to New Zealand. We not only understand but have actively implemented best practices, internally and externally, to ensure remote working not only functions effectively but provides tangible benefits to the business. We passionately believe that remote working, when properly implemented and nurtured continuously, creates significant financial, professional, ethical, environmental, and personal rewards for a business and its employees. 

How We Add Value

The organisations that best manage their most important assets, their people, have always been the businesses that have been most successful in their industry. These are the companies that have embraced the challenges and opportunities that remote working has created.  No business is immune to these challenges, nor unable to realise the benefits. We provide practical guidance to help our clients firstly identify and understand the constraints and challenges of remote working, both for its leaders, employees, and supply chain partners and clients then advise how to mitigate these challenges and unlock the opportunities that remote working brings.