In these turbulent times of strike, telework suddenly hits again the news media. Sometimes disputed, feared or revered, telecommuting is beginning to be more widely accepted by French companies particularly since the legislative framework in 2017.
In a world of cloud and big data, let’s discuss telecommuting, remote work, flexible workplace or simply working from home. (There are so many ways to describe working outside of the office.)
Many employees, especially millennials, are fond of the concept of telecommuting. But even with the arrival of new technology, fewer than 25% of French employees have benefited from a flexible workplace. This is up from 15% in 2017, which begs the question, will this trend continue? I think that has to do with the concern of telecommuting.
Sometimes telecommuting generates concern. People tend to ask, what do employees do when they telecommute? How will they be supervised? But let’s look at the benefits of working from home.
Benefits of Telecommuting
There are many benefits to telecommuting.
Consider time spent commuting, particularly in the Paris region, and its impact on the quality of work. Cutting out a commute can be both a morale booster and a time saver.
And what about the profitability of those lost hours commuting? Teleworkers appear to have a better work-life balance. In fact, oftentimes working from home can make you more productive, because you do not have the distractions of an office space.
For parents, the logistics management of the children in the morning and evening can be a real headache and a source of stress. Telecommuting provides employees with a better sense of control and balance.
Drawbacks of Telecommuting
However, there can be downsides to working from home. Telecommuting can require real vigilance of management and human resources departments.
Employees should be extremely self-motivated, or else they may get distracted easily. And for some employees, it may be difficult to distinguish between work and leisure time. However, some studies demonstrate that we tend to work more at home. This is something to take into consideration.
Telecommuting Successfully
For successful telecommuting, the following are required:
- Trust,
- Good communication,
- Use of the right tools
Managers should be present and check in regularly to avoid feelings of isolation, but they shouldn’t micromanage. Use of collaborative tech tools for messaging and video chat help facilitate good communication and establish trust. Trust between the company, the manager and the employee is the cornerstone of teleworking.
Conclusion
Telework requires a real organizational overhaul of the corporate world and a change in management culture.
As part of their digital transformation, companies must adapt to attract and retain the talent of tomorrow, while allowing older generations to find a balance.
It seems millennials can’t imagine life in a corporate office. 90 percent of graduates want to work in a home office. The technology, meanwhile, is ready to support this revolution.
So, if working from home occasionally makes employees happier and more effective and the company more prosperous, why wouldn’t we offer telecommuting opportunities?
Who knows, maybe telecommuting in business will become a success…
IFS has several new and exciting job opportunities. Take a look and/or refer a candidate here: https://t.co/IICSCmlSGn pic.twitter.com/Gkv13P5j4v
— IFS (@ifs) December 28, 2019
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