James Bradley, director at Churchill, discusses how technology can help with remote teams. A digital platform has numerous benefits, including enabling real-time comms, increasing employee engagement between themselves and managers (even more important as the traditional 9-5 routine fades away) and helping share company culture to those outside the office. A digital platform can also be used to share information about pay, holiday, company updates and more. It’s an essential component of a successful WFH model.
Working from home isn’t a new concept. Yet, millions of people experienced it for the first time following the lockdown. Similarly, thousands of businesses suddenly found themselves with a vast remote workforce without any planning or preparation time. The experience has been positive for some, yet negative for others.
One of the biggest challenges faced by businesses since March has been how to support remote teams. Support is a broad term that covers many areas – mental and physical health, happiness and productivity. Even businesses used to operating with remote teams scattered across different locations are always looking for ways to offer those employees the support they need.
Remote working is likely to continue even when workplaces are fully open again. However, whereas before we were all in the same boat, businesses now have to contend with additional challenges. Those working remotely may experience ‘fear of missing out’ if most colleagues are in the office, and there are practical challenges too – those dialling in to a call may get side-lined if the majority are in the same room. Business leaders should look to technology solutions to complement support processes that are already in place.
A digital hub
At Churchill, our digital platform Mo:dus has been an invaluable tool – long before the pandemic hit. As well as employees working from home, we have teams working with clients at sites across the country, so having a digital hub has always made sense.
The benefits of a digital platform have never been more evident. A mature solution allows endless collaboration and ensures the right messages get to the right people without delay. Real-time communication has been a necessity during the pandemic – employees need to know what’s happening with their roles and their teams, and the Government guidance has been frequently changing.
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Mo:dus allows us to communicate messages with employees – individually or company-wide – as and when we need to. Because it’s an app, employees can receive important notifications so they get the message as soon as we send it.
Communication is a two-way street. Any digital platform should include functionality for employees to contact their line manager or other key staff, such as HR or IT. In fact, a comprehensive digital platform should enable employees to easily access things such as payslips and holiday requests.
Thanks to the foundations already in place, we were able to launch a symptom tracker within weeks of the lockdown. This enabled employees to record any symptoms on a daily basis, ensuring the health and safety of themselves, their colleagues and anyone else they came into contact with.
The agility to be able to turnaround a development project cannot be understated – and how knows what the next urgent project will be!
Employee engagement
It’s not uncommon for a disconnect to appear between office-based employees and those working from home. That doesn’t mean the company has done something wrong or there is a problem between teams. It’s simply down to the social element of seeing someone in person versus via video call.
As mentioned earlier, this could be exacerbated by the post-lockdown mix of office-based and home-working employees. Businesses must address this quickly because a disengaged employee will not be as happy or productive.
A digital platform plays a huge role in keeping teams connected, whether it’s work related or not. We’ve all noticed the increased personal connections during lockdown in the absence of physical meetings, and that’s something that should be encouraged and nurtured indefinitely.
Whether it’s running a quiz, chatting about bingeworthy box sets or simply asking a colleague how they are getting on, employee engagement transcends just talking about work. Building personal relationships is vital for success and technology has an important role to play.
No more 9 – 5
Another knock-on effect of the lockdown is the increased flexibility employees have enjoyed. Companies need to understand the different situations and preferences of employees and work with them to create a schedule that suits them.
Some work best when they get up early and get straight to work; others are at their most productive as the day draws to a close. While there needs to be some limits (no one wants to receive an email at 11 pm!), for many the traditional 9 – 5 is a thing of the past.
Technology can help facilitate the flexible pattern by giving employees the tools they need to work at times that suit them.
Finding the right blend
However, it’s important to find the right mix between technology and the human element. Nothing beats a human connection so any solution should complement, not replace or supersede, the human input.
Once you have implemented a digital platform, experiment with different functionalities to see what works well and get feedback from your employees. They are the ultimate beneficiaries so it’s essential to get their thoughts. Once you have the right mix you’ll be well on the way to supporting your remote teams.
What are the biggest challenges you have faced in supporting remote employees?
By James Bradley
James is a director at Churchill Group, one of the largest independently-owned soft service providers in the UK. James has a keen interest in digital technology and is excited about the future opportunity our sector has to positively affect social, economic and environment challenges.
James has extensive experience in the property and FM outsourcing sectors, having previously been head of operations, IFM and engineering services at Mitie.
James has a 1st class Civil Engineering Masters Degree from the University of Birmingham and is a voluntary co-chair for Emerging Workplace Leaders. In 2015 he won the PFM ‘Young Leader of the Year’ award.
