With all that’s going on in the world it’s normal to feel disconnected. Disconnected from friends, from family, from colleagues. Who would have thought at 23:59 NYE 2019, the majority of the UK workforce would be working from home in the next 3 months? If we’re being honest work was probably the last thing on people’s minds, that and trying to avoid singing Auld Lang Syne.
Collaboration has been the common element guiding us through these uncertain times both in terms of work, and socially, and as a result we are able to collaborate between offices as though it were any normal working day – albeit ‘offices’ are now people’s homes but nonetheless collaboration means we can still work together as teams, no matter where we are.
Collaborative technology has been around for a while and brings a huge number of benefits with it such as reducing the costs of running an office and decreasing the time employees spend getting to the office, which in turn increases business productivity. So my question is, why haven’t businesses taken advantage of these benefits sooner?
I believe until recently there has been a stigma around working from home. No one can physically see what you’re doing, and there’s often a stereotype of employees having their laptops switched on while watching Netflix or taking an afternoon nap. In my experience this is actually the opposite of what happens and I, personally, find my productivity improves when working from home. There’s far less distractions and users can prioritise messages and stay far more organised.
Obviously there will be exceptions to this, and working from home doesn’t suit everybody, but the benefits of cost reductions, and increased business productivity seem like a no brainer to most employers. For me, the only downside is the lack of face-to-face human contact, which can be supplemented via video calling.
With every atrocity or disaster, some good can emerge. With the Government (as of 23.03.2020) telling individuals to work from home where possible, everyone is finding that remote working really isn’t so bad after all.
Collaboration is helping businesses to stay online and connected to colleagues, customers and partners, and my hope is that post-isolation businesses see the advantages of employee mobility and stop viewing home working as a ‘work perk’ that looks good on recruitment ads.
So, if you’re looking for a quick fix to get your employees up and running remotely, or if you’re looking for longer term solutions, let us know! N4Engage offers a range of Collaboration tools, including our free 90 day Webex Accounts, which can not only benefit your business but your employee’s wellbeing in these current times.
Remember, we are all in this together.
And yes, that is a line from the classic 2006 film “High School Musical”.
