Trust – The hidden secret to successful Remote Working
“Remote working requires trust between the manager and the worker to work.”
Schnittman, Co-Founder of Owl Lab
Just last week, Forbes published an article that was rather sceptical of Remote Working. Aside from microphones not working, internet connections being poor and a general feeling of disengagement- it was argued that Remote Working styles are more hassle than they are worth.
80% of a group of UK employees surveyed revealed that they had a hard time when communication and collaboration declined working from home. A further 53% felt that their companies weren’t doing enough to accommodate modern day working habits, such as remote working.
We would like to challenge these doubts.
- Support in Technology:
First and foremost: technology. We have all been there- sitting at our desktop furiously clicking the WiFi icon while muttering, “Oh will you come on!”. Technology can be hit and miss but when a company chooses to offer remote working positions, there ought to be support in providing the most up to date software and guidance when choosing data plans to avail of the best quality, best value option.
Alternatively, remote working companies may have open working spaces with internet access that will enable you to connect without worry. Often times, technological issues may be caused by poor connection or something as simple as updating your software. At Abodoo, we use up to date technology such as GSuite, Zoom, Slack and Hubspot to run our daily team meetings and give tutorials to each other on screen. Do not be afraid to ask for support or guidance if you are not the most internet tech savvy! A solution can be compromised.
- Then comes trust:
Technology is evidently an important factor in contributing to the success of remote working but I believe that trust is the most fundamental building block in the foundations of SmartWorking.
The Smart method of working requires trust between the employer and the employee. The employer needs to feel confident that their employee’s will work independently to achieve the company goals. Similarly, the employee places trust in their employer to support and guide them in planning their goals and maintaining a good team ethic. Employers and employees must work in harmony to achieve their common goals! Thus, while some critics may doubt the potential of remote working, there is proven success in SmartWorking. It can work.
In a survey of 8,000 global employees and employers by Vodafone in 2016, three-quarters of companies worldwide had already adopted flexible working policies, with 61% believing that it had increased profits and 83% reporting that productivity was boosted as a result.
With the right amount of technical support and guidance and trustworthy team ethic, you can build a hard working, energetic team. If you believe that you can offer your team technological support and establish a high level of trust and commitment- the SmartWorking model may be the one for you!
Whether you are an employer or employee, get in touch now to see how you can register and become part of the SmartWorking revolution