Remote work
A practical guide to the new business reality

A Bell Resource
August 2010

Ian Wineberg
Associate Director, Wireless Solutions

 

Table of Contents

  • About the author
  • 1.0 Work anywhere
    • 1.1 Overcoming perceived barriers
  • 2.0 Remote work: a fact of life
  • 3.0 Getting the most out of remote work
    • 3.1 Performance anxiety
    • 3.2 Cost concerns
    • 3.3 Security
    • 3.4 Internal resistance
  • 4.0 Measuring success
  • 5.0 A compelling proposition
 

About the author

Ian Wineberg is Associate Director, Wireless Solutions at Bell Canada. Ian has gained extensive experience in developing and implementing aspects of remote work solutions, both at Bell and in his previous role as a communications security consultant.

1.0 Work anywhere

It's no secret that enabling employees to work away from the distractions of a busy office environment can be beneficial in a number of ways, from increased productivity to a healthier bottom line. At some organizations, employees routinely get out of the office to focus on work.

With new unified communications (UC) collaboration and measurement tools, as well as reliable, secure connections to enterprise applications, working outside of the office is now secure and transparent. People used to go to work–now work moves with them, allowing them to reach new levels of creativity and output. With remote work, employees not only enjoy the benefits of a flexible work environment but organizations of all sizes can improve their bottom line while attracting and retaining top talent.

Today, remote workers aren't just so-called telecommuters who work from home offices full time. They're salespeople, technicians and service personnel, consultants, educators and business travellers–working, collaborating and staying connected–wherever the job takes them.

So why are many organizations still hesitant to embrace this new business reality? Part of the problem lies in the perception that there are still significant barriers to telework.

1.1 Overcoming perceived barriers

The main challenges associated with remote work have always been centered on issues of how to foster collaboration and ensure accountability. Many organizations–Bell, Cisco and IBM are three prominent examples–have successfully addressed these concerns and become stronger as a result. Along the way, they have also realized unexpected benefits, including increased resiliency in regards to disaster preparedness and a reduced impact on the environment, to name just two.

If you're looking for a competitive edge that will give you a healthier, more efficient organization, this paper will show you how to harness the technical innovations that have overcome the barriers to remote work, and how top organizations in Canada are benefitting from this new business reality.

2.0 Remote work: a fact of life

More people than ever work out of home offices. The number of employees who telework at least part-time in the U.S. has grown to more than 17.2 million people, up 39% between 2006 and 2008. But telework is just one small segment of the larger phenomenon of remote workers. Organizations of all stripes are now enabling remote work for a wide range of employees that don't fit the classic teleworker profile. The demographics of remote workers are surprising:

  • Almost half of them are mobile professionals such as architects and brokers, professional support workers, IT and clerical support staff
  • One third work in the field, including sales and client service professionals, technical and field support staff
  • About 20% comprise a broad mix of jobs such as educators, delivery and public safety personnel

It's not just remote workers that benefit from the new reality of anytime, anywhere connectivity. Employees who commute to work five days a week also gain a productivity boost. In fact, a recent study shows that wireless smart phone or laptop connectivity to business tools increases the number of hours worked by 13%, resulting in greater productivity. For example, financial services agents with smart phones executed 11% more trades, and insurance adjusters filed 7.4 more claims per week.

Want further confirmation that remote work will play a large part in the future of business? Look to the ingenious survival techniques of startup businesses. Bootstrapped companies sometimes accrue dozens of employees and make millions of dollars in revenue before ever establishing permanent, physical offices. Startups use instant messaging (IM), video and audio conferencing, as well as online document provisioning and management systems for collaboration–the same tools that much larger organizations are also using to enable remote work.

3.0 Getting the most out of remote work

The leaders of startup companies know instinctively what others eventually realize: remote work pays off in a number of ways. Most entrepreneurs tend to keep their employees working remotely as long as possible to keep costs down, while increasing the size of their talent pool and attracting people who desire a work-life balance that otherwise wouldn't match the demands of working for the company. But what many mature organizations capitalize on are different benefits to remote work, like the increased resiliency that comes with decentralization, and the fact that people are simply more productive out of the office.

But while the likes of Bell, Cisco, IBM and many other organizations large and small have adopted and come to rely on remote work programs, other companies are still reticent to embrace the new paradigm. In the following sections we explore what concerns about remote work persist in the minds of executives and managers, and how a combination of established best practices and new technology alleviates those doubts.

3.1 Performance anxiety

The primary worry of executives and managers is that if employees are not in the office, they won't get the job done–they won't stick to their work, and they won't be able to collaborate effectively. While those are valid concerns to have, there are many methods that can now be used to help ensure remote workers are productive:

  • Planning, security guidelines, remote work polices and especially training have evolved to guide every facet of remote work, from employee suitability to protocols surrounding working in public places
  • Several tools are now available that give managers insight into what work is being accomplished, if it's being done properly, and how quickly. These include remote access and real-time monitoring software
  • UC tools like presence, IM and desktop videoconferencing, along with online collaboration tools, now make it easy to share ideas and information while creating awareness of colleagues' actions and whereabouts

Furthermore, the experience of organizations that have embraced remote work initiatives has consistently shown that employees are not less productive, they are more so. IBM has revealed productivity improvements of between 20% and 50% for remote workers, while a Quebec-based study of seven companies showed productivity increases of 10–30%.

Employees are not only more productive when not working solely at their desks, they also tend to work longer hours and take fewer sick days when they are not obliged to make the daily commute. Studies show that remote workers clock between two and six-and-a-half more hours of work per week than their office-bound counterparts.

Transparency tools

How do managers keep on top of what employees are doing, no matter where they are? The reality is that remote work can deliver the same kind of visibility as you would get in the office. Here are some of the tools and techniques that ensure transparency:

  • Presence functionality shows colleagues' calendars, and indicates their status: when they are available, in a meeting, on the phone, etc.
  • Desktop video for business increases accountability, enabling colleagues to initiate a videoconference involving two or more people at will
  • Online collaboration software can automatically report team members' activities
  • Remote access services and helpdesk support email, remote desktop, intranet and VPN access authentication and more
  • Remote worker and manager training courses put in place protocols that strengthen transparency
  • Performance standards put into place metrics that both parties agree to

The bottom line is this: with the right methods and technology, it's now more possible than ever to maintain management oversight and improving productivity among teams of employees, wherever they are working.

3.2 Cost concerns

The initial costs of designing, administering, training and provisioning the technology for a remote work program may seem daunting. But the savings gained from reduced absenteeism alone can offset program costs. One large communications equipment manufacturer found that the entire cost of outfitting and equipping an employee to telework is made up in the first year if they are away from work three and a half fewer days that year. In subsequent years, that number drops to one and a half days.

When a portion of the workforce doesn't have to come into the office on a regular basis, organizations can move from dedicated workspace to a hot-desk model in which remote workers can set up their laptops and log into a desk phone with extension mobility. Once users enter their passwords, any phone set adopts their voicemail, speed dial, video and other preferences, effectively turning any desk into their own.

Remote work also saves employees money: less gas, vehicle maintenance, transit passes, restaurants and clothes for work. In fact, in a survey of 1,500 technology workers, 37% said they would accept a salary cut of 5% if they could work from home. Moreover, making fewer people commute is a greener way to do business.

3.3 Security

The office is a secure environment, with encrypted WiFi and robust intrusion detection systems. But what if workers leave that controlled environment? Many organizations wonder if remote work increases the risk of a security breach.

The truth is that the tools used to secure data transmission in the office are the same tools used for the home office:

  • IP virtual private networks (IP-VPNs) encapsulate data transmissions between computers, smart phones, home office telephones and other devices, keeping data private as it travels over the Internet. VPNs are quick to set up and maintain
  • Upstream security services catch malware at the carrier level, protecting home and corporate offices alike before threats ever reach an organizations' security infrastructure
  • WPA2, which is regarded as the most robust wireless network security encryption protocol, is as readily available for home offices as it is for the corporate environment

These tools go a long way towards securing the home office. Of course, adhering regardless of whether employees are in the office, on the road or at home, following corporate security policy and password protocols always have a major role to play in securing devices, data and applications.

3.4 Internal resistance

For some employees who have spent the better part of a lifetime commuting to the office five days per week, the prospect of working at home by themselves without their professional circle of colleagues to talk to on coffee breaks can seem daunting. Remote work can be a difficult transition for certain types of employees, which needs to be considered when formulating a formal program.

Some people will jump at the opportunity, of course, while others just aren't suited for more than occasional remote work. And if remote work is first introduced as an option, employees may be hesitant to opt in, as they might feel that their careers will suffer from being out of sight and out of mind. Then again, managers who do not delegate well and tend to micro-manage can have difficulty moving to a model of remote work. Effectively overcoming internal resistance to remote work comes down to identifying the sticking points and formulating a program that eliminates them.

But internal resistance isn't as much of a barrier as you might think. Many organizations find that once initial resistance is overcome, employees embrace remote work. And for many of those that are likely to offer resistance in the first place–older workers, for example–remote work is a boon. As baby boomers age, full- or part-time remote work can be one way for them to stay connected to the world of business and for companies to retain their skills and experience longer as they ease into retirement.

Remote work is also attractive to the so-called Millennial Generation–people in their teens, twenties and early thirties who are now entering the workforce–and can give recruiters a leg up on competitors. Millennials have had anytime, anywhere connectivity to friends, family and studies for much of their lives, making remote work a way of life that most are not willing to give up.

People cite different reasons for wanting to work remotely. In a recent Microsoft employee survey, 60% cited a balanced lifestyle as their top benefit, while the next biggest benefit surrounded commuting. Organizations with flexible work policies can cast their nets wider in their search for talent, recruiting from outside of their normal catchment area.

But whatever their stated reasons, the positive effects of remote work on employees are well documented. A study by the Journal of Applied Psychology found that remote work:

  • Provides a better sense of control and balance between work and family
  • Improves relationships between supervisors and staff
  • Reduces stress
  • Increases job satisfaction, worker retention and productivity

Pockets of concern about a new remote work program will inevitably exist within any organization, but establishing clear guidelines and developing policies that match the unique culture of the workplace will help to overcome initial resistance.

4.0 Measuring success

Increasing productivity is one of the main reasons why organizations embrace remote work. Naturally, managers should be able to demonstrate what productivity gains are made. This should not be challenging, as performance standards, measurement tools and techniques for off-site workers should be the same as those for employees working on-site. How do managers currently measure success?

To measure successfully, judge employee performance based on results, not observation. Establish productivity benchmarks: accomplishments, products, or services provided. Performance plans should include standards that are measurable, observable, and at least verifiable. Quantity, quality, timeliness, and cost effectiveness are all important metrics. Standards should be established ahead of time and clearly addressed in a telework agreement. Chances are high that if managers aren't able to measure output of remote workers, they aren't able to measure it with in-office employees, either.

5.0 A compelling proposition

If remote work sounds like a winning proposition from the point of view of productivity, savings and employee satisfaction, think about the far-reaching benefits it can have for your business:

  • Agility – Doing business today requires quick action, and remote work tools enable you to react quickly. If you're thinking of expanding to another city or another country, or client demands take you there at short notice, remote work establishes a model for transparent collaboration. It allows you to respond to customers more quickly and to be fully engaged, where the action is, in very short order.
  • Resilience – One remote work benefit that often goes unrecognized is resilience. Research firm Gartner found that in the event of a power outage, 88% of Canadian organizations had a plan in place that would allow them to continue with business as usual, but only 13% were ready to deal with workforce disruption.

    In the event of a pandemic, corporate policy should require that employees avoid contact with each other. Not only does remote work manage to do this, but with infrastructure and policy already in place, work outside of the office can proceed without disruption or security risk, giving organizations with that ability a clear advantage over those without it.
  • Talent – In-house resourcing also takes on a new meaning, as it can encompass anyone, anywhere, giving you a strategic advantage when it comes to hiring the best talent for the job, in the right location. And because remote work programs have been employed by mainstream businesses for some time, putting the pieces into place is not a great challenge.

Bell has learned these lessons firsthand. We've drawn upon our experience in establishing and evolving our own Canada-wide remote work program to provide remote work expertise, tools and services for dozens of Canadian organizations of all sizes. Our offering includes program design, remote work tool and system recommendations and implementation, as well as training and ongoing system maintenance. To find out more, contact your Bell representative today, or click here to have someone from Bell get in touch with you.