Working from home - time to get it right
11 March 2020 by Caryn Vanstone
More and more of us are working remotely.
Right now, due to the current virus outbreak, businesses are beginning to close the doors of their offices. Urged to work from home, many leaders and employees are facing the prospect of long periods of remote and virtual working for the first time. While this situation will pass, underneath this sudden issue has been a long-term transition towards remote, virtual and global working, with multiple benefits as well as challenges.
In addition, throughout the UK and parts of Europe businesses are being impacted by the loss of Flybe domestic flights and the prospect of an economic downturn is already causing some companies to "tighten their belts" when it comes to travel budgets. Even if this wasn't true - every business needs to dramatically reduce its carbon footprint if we are to respond to the growing climate crisis.
Of course, we have all had some experience of the odd remote and virtual working day. We cope rather than flourish – facing unproductive web-meetings, ballooning email inboxes and postponed deadlines.
Many struggle because it is automatic to use the same skills, the same processes and the same leadership approaches that we use face-to-face in the office, meeting room or workshop – and hope that good enough technology will take care of the loss of physical connection. But it doesn’t. All the research over the last 20 years has shown that virtual and remote working is a NEW CRAFT with entirely new competencies and techniques, tools and ways of working.
When you get it right you can be JUST as productive, collaborative and connected – all of which means efficiency, effectiveness and performance … as well as improved quality of life.
We have been developing leaders, coaches, facilitators and change agents in the art and craft of working virtually for many years - and we have now launched an entirely virtual, e-learning enabled range of programmes to suit all types of working environment.
Prototyped in Siemens Digital Industries, our comprehensive programme covers all aspects of virtual leadership life, also exploring other elements of global leadership, digitisation of the workplace, and how to enable peak performance through purpose and strengths.