Currently companies are investing significant amounts of investment in distributed, mobile and remote workers the aim of reducing operating costs. This article details 7 proven ways to realise significant returns on these investment.
1. Introduce benchmarks to assess/measure performance
It is key before undertaking any business organisational change is to understand exactly what the objective of the exercise is and to set targets so that progress towards the objectives can be understood and measured. You should establish 'savings targets' a soon as possible, both for improvements in team efficiency, reduction of staff costs and cost of accommodation. During the course of, and after, the implementation you should regularly monitor actuals against estimates to ensure that savings are actually as anticipated.
2. Standardise your implementation strategy
A major issue which the implementation of equipment for remote workers causes is the provision of subsequent infrastructure and technical support. I would recommend that a strategy of standardisation is adopted (I will not recommend specific vendors here.. as by the time you read this, because of the nature of the IT market currently - any recommendations will probably be out of date). Also strongly recommended is the establishment of an asset register if your organisation does not already have one. This also improves the ability to support remotely distributed equipment, but also make the return of equipment to base following resource churn much easier to manage.
3. Understand it's much more than technology
To be successful requires both operational and business changes as well as technology. Any implementation of this kind needs to be mindful of the 3cs of successful team based working. These are communication, collaboration and control. For successful implementation of these projects: management style, operational processes and use of technology must be combined in order to address all three. Failure to provision any of the above basic needs will inevitably lead to a breakdown in team work.
4. Be prepared to remodel existing business processes
Currently your business will be organised around 'office based' single location business processes. The change from this operational model to one of distributed teams of resources achieving corporate objectives is fundamental and far-reaching and should not be taken lightly. A key strategy for success may be to allow virtual teams to assemble to meet specific projects and then regroup subsequently as the needs of the business change.
5. Not right for some - Ideal for others
It needs to be remembered when embarking on any implementation project of this type that every job role and every employee will not be suited to remote working. Some business functions do, and always will require customer facing staff or office based teams of workers. In the same way - not all employees will take well to the change in work-style and associated responsibilities that remote working teams bring.
6. Maintaining business focus
Meet regularly as a team and ensure that team individuals are informed regularly about how their contribution. It is important to realise that the dynamic of 'free exchange of information' will be reduced for remote teams and this natural process within same-office locations need to be enabled, managed and monitored in remote teams. A lack of attention in this area is one of the main 'pain points' of such a transition - leading to remote workers feeling isolated, outside and not informed. Managers must understand that without ongoing commitment to enable communication within their remote teams, communication between team members will break down, therefore a focus on the ability of the teams to share information must be a priority.
7. Seek advice from experts
From our experience- organisations who attempt to implement remote and distributed working themselves are in for an up hill struggle. We would always recommend that businesses seek specialist expert advice regarding the implementation of these changes.
For further information:
The first point of reference I would recommend would be the internet. Remote and distributed working is a rapidly growing trend - and lots of practical guidance, assistance and help can be gained there. Also of interest are the number of information only sites, set up expressly to assist business make these changes. Of particular assistance are http://www.projectnomad.org.uk/ (public sector remote/flexible working portal) , the DTI and the numerous online business communities formed to service just this need for shared information.
By carefully understand existing business processes and taking time to create an achievable implementation strategy - both significant third party research and my own experiences have shown that improvements in team efficiency and productivity in conjunction with significant cost savings are both achievable through effective use of remote working.
If you are currently involved in any remote or distributed team implementation programme and would appreciate some additional external support or advice, or are considering ways of reducing operational overheads and are interested in finding out more - please contact us on enquiries@computer-assets.co.uk with details of your problem and our specialist team will be glad to assist you.
Don Cooke is technical director of Computer Assets Ltd, a company specialising in complete solutions for remote teams. The company operates this financially effective model themselves with a national team of business and technical consultants combined with both software and analytics tools. Clients include FTSE companies in the insurance, utility and local government sectors. Don regularly talks to corporate audiances on a variety of subjects, from effective marketing to business disaster recovery, and on behalf of his company on the effective use of remote and mobile technologies in today's business world.
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