Remote working is transforming the digital economy - businesses must adapt to keep up

Businesses are being advised to ensure they are ready to accommodate the rise of remote working - or risk being left behind.

Communications company Glide is warning business owners that increasingly staff will request the option to work remotely and more flexibly. 

The micro business sector seems to be embracing this more freely than many others – though for some businesses it’s simply not possible due to the nature of their business. 

Between 2008 and 2018, there was a 74% increase in the number of people working from their own homewhile 68% say they’d like to work flexibly ‘in a way that is not currently available’. 

Remote working has been found to boost employee well-being, help with recruitment and support business expansion, while 77% of workers report that flexibility at work is important to them. 

It’s recognised however that there are challenges to being able to facilitate remote working.

Potential obstacles include:

• The risk of workers feeling isolated, with fewer natural opportunities for collaboration. 
• Fairness among staff when some must always be on site due to business operations. 
• Concerns over data security.
• Lack of productivity from workers who struggle to stay motivated. 

James Warner, managing director of Glide business said: “Where people once expected to travel to a place of work, clock in and stay there until eight hours later, employees are demanding more freedom. One of the biggest influencing factors has been the emergence of the digital economy. 

“Traditionally, companies needed a physical presence to do business, but this is no longer a prerequisite, and many now exist solely to provide online services, or make their money from intangible assets, like software.

“These changes are making it less essential for employees to be physically present at their place of work in order for their task to be completed, but evolving your business to provide this facility for employees isn’t without its challenges.

“It’s crucial that businesses embed a culture that is applicable inside and outside of the physical office, while a secure server, VPN access and a reliable superfast broadband connection are also essential for remote working facilitation.”

Click here to read Glide’s practical safety guide to remote working for businesses: https://glidegroup.co.uk/remote-working-a-practical-safety-guide-for-businesses

Some other useful resources include: 

UK Working Lives Survey (https://www.cipd.co.uk/knowledge/work/trends/uk-working-lives)

The Future Workforce Report (https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/workplace-wellbeing/changes-in-workplace/) 

State of Remote Work Report 2019 (https://buffer.com/state-of-remote-work-2019)