iCIMS Hire Expectations™

With many nations moving into a post-industrial stage, we are beginning to see more organizations move into the service sector. Because of this, there is less of a need for a physical presence for employees at the office. Whether it is to allow carpenters to take their tools home to begin working on their clients earlier in the morning, or to allow technical and sales people to log into their corporate networks, this is a tremendous perk that many people benefit from today.

There are benefits to both sides of this equation. Employees get to engage in work in a more “at-will” manner, sometimes they are even able to make their own hours, so to speak. They also might be able to work in a more comfortable environment. It may even enable them to tend to needs at home or in their personal lives more easily. The benefit for the employer is that their workers feel more flexibility around their job, and in turn have a higher satisfaction rating, and will perform better overall. Studies have also shown that individuals who regularly work remotely will work more hours in a day and often times at no additional cost. Organizations can also save budget on eliminating the need to house and maintain physical assets on site. Companies could lease smaller buildings for the reduced number of on-site employees and equipment.

While working remotely may prove beneficial to both employee and employer, there are also issues that a company should be aware of.

1. Preparation: It is important to prepare employees to embrace activities that keep them productive. It’s much easier to get distracted while working in the environment of their choosing, but with the right mindset these environments can be much more soothing and (surprisingly enough) distraction free.
2. Ideal Workspace: It is important to encourage employees to set up a “work area” that is away from major attention grabbers (perhaps away from the Xbox?), but still within a comfort zone.
3. Accountability: It’s equally important to maintain a system that allows management to ensure that employees are staying accountable. If their work is project driven, having a project management system with time logging works, if performance is sales driven, strict quotas can work. Most scenarios should have a method to ensure that management is aware if productivity is slipping, and that it can be addressed before it becomes a major problem.

I’ve personally had the joy of working from home on occasion many times over the past few years. At first it was very easy to get distracted, but once I trained myself to get into the mindset, I began producing at a level even greater than when I was present in the office. I also accessed my projects during off hours more often, especially if I realized a new idea on the weekend or late at night. Some days, I’d even begin working much early in the morning and keep going until the close of business. As long as an employee is interested in their work and realizes that they may need to adjust some of their working habits, allowing them to work remotely can be beneficial for everyone.