In the past, many people believed that the most crucial factor in a workplace was the headcount of employees, not the quality of outputs they could produce. As time passed, businesses changed; they started to focus more on the quality of the whole team. In the present, successful organizations have evolved in forming teams. Hiring high-value talents has become more convenient. Most A-players today work remotely, and employers have adapted to this setup. The advancement of technology is the reason why a flexible workforce is in-demand, and this article will discuss further all the benefits you can get by having a flexible workforce.
What is a flexible workforce?
The term refers to employees who work outside their traditional office space, in distinct locations, and on several different schedules. A flexible workforce is rapidly growing globally, driven by millennials entering the workforce and changing the way they work. You can conveniently get well-vetted employees from an excellent outsourcing marketplace. By partnering with an outsourcing marketplace, you will be connected to BPO contact centers that can provide you with the flexible workforce you need.
Benefits of a Flexible Workforce
Getting a flexible workforce allows you to have the best talents from across the globe while procuring the outputs your business needs to thrive and grow. Doing so is cost-effective, practical, and will give you access to teams with superb work ethics.
For startup businesses and small to medium enterprises, hiring a full-time employee is often not an option. There are many reasons why a company could benefit from hiring project-based over full-time employees. Think of the possibilities! Moreover, even if you plan on getting full-time employees, you don’t have to worry about office location, training your team, benefits, and vacation credits. You can choose a talent who has all the skills you need by partnering with trusted BPO contact centers through an outsourcing marketplace.
Benefits of a Flexible Workforce for Businesses
The practice of flexibility in the workforce gives advantages to both the company and its talents.
Adapting to Flexible Workforce Attracts and Retains Top Talents
Tech-informed A-players prefer working remotely with the comfort and satisfaction it offers. A flexible working environment gives them the autonomy, freedom, and practicality they need to live a happy life outside of work.
With a flexible workforce, you can easily attract the best talents across the globe to work for you since you’ll have no geographical limitations.
You No Longer Have to Deal With Tardiness and Poor Attendance
No more commute time gives the workforce the convenience to start the work on time or even earlier. Bad weather no longer gets in the way of your team from completing projects. Plus, there will be higher chances of them still working, even with a slightly unwell feeling.
You Always Get High-Quality Outputs
You get exceptional creative outputs because your talents have more room for collaborative thinking. Flexible employees either work from the office with other experts in their industry or remotely. Working from the office allows them to be more innovative by interacting with people from their field. Working remotely lets them do their projects in conducive workplaces, where they can also converse with other professionals and learn from them. This freedom to interact with other remarkably talented individuals brings out the best in the team.
Your Productivity Increases
Airtasker conducted a survey and found that remote employees worked 1.4 more days every month. They used up more working hours than those who worked in the offices. This means that you get more outputs annually with workforce flexibility. Employees who work from home save time and stress from commuting. They no longer get exhausted from traffic, and their energy goes to doing their tasks adroitly instead. Talents who work remotely can also choose their desired space for working. They can hustle away from the noise and focus more on their assignments.
Your Company Saves Rental and Electricity Bills
You can save thousands of dollars annually from office supplies, computers, rentals, power, maintenance, and utility expenses. It is a win-win for both you and your team.
Benefits of a Flexible Workforce for Employees
Less Gas or Transportation Expenses
Tech-informed and financially savvy adults know that they can save a great deal of money each year from no transportation to work. They can use these savings for other funds or personal projects to better their lives instead.
Fewer Distractions
Offices are sometimes crowded, noisy, and full of distractions. These can sometimes be the reasons why there are many delayed projects or errors at work. Working from home or desired personal working space will help talents focus and deliver competent results.
Work and Life Balance
Flexible work arrangements outrank other job opportunities that are office-based. Many also leave their current employee when a chance to be in a flexible workforce presents itself. Employees working from home, especially parents, will have more time taking care of their children in case of emergency or settling home bills.
How to Build a Flexible Workforce
Aside from productivity, one of the biggest challenges of maintaining an efficient flexible workforce is retaining talents. You can increase your retention rate by making your employees valued, and here are the ways you can do so.
Evaluate Job Descriptions
Define and assess the job descriptions of each role to see if they can still be effectively produced from home. Jot down which job responsibilities can be done with less supervision from seniors and boss, and compare the levels of productivity one may perform from home and office. There may be job roles in your business that can be attended remotely by talents after having a clearer understanding of the work patterns.
Encourage and Inspire Your Managers
If you have a large team, inspire your project leaders to build successful programs for your remote employees. Empower them to create procedures and policies that will keep everyone productive and engaging.
Don’t Miss Feedback Sessions
Feedback sessions are substantial to maintain the overall quality of the business despite everyone in the team being spread around the world. Arrange feedback sessions once in a while to assess the performance of each team member. Also, encourage your employee to share his thoughts and ideas about the tasks and work process he is involved in.
Maintain Personal Interactions
You can still create a fun and engaging virtual environment for your remote team through digital communication platforms. Interactions in the office have virtual alternatives, such as voice calls and small team meetings for your talents to talk about their endeavors recently. You can also do workout sessions together virtually through desk-based yoga. Gift exchanges are also doable, even online.
You can arrange team meetings to get to know your team more and let them loosen up a bit.
Lead by Example
Always make your communication lines open to your employees. Ask them once in a while how they are doing, and how the tasks are going. Reminding them of your presence will pull them away from being unassertive.
Effective Policies For Your Flexible Workforce
Determine The Work Processes and Tools Needed
For your talents to be as productive as possible from home, determine early on what tools are needed to complete each task at hand. Make them easily accessible to your employees.
Here’s a list of things management can prepare for the workforce:
- Data Security
- Equipment
- Technology policies
- Onboarding materials
- Documentation
- Management tools for a flexible workforce
- Team collaboration tools
- Software
- Work strategies
How do you distribute all of these adequately to your office-based, remote, and hybrid employees? How do you keep transactions smooth and secure daily for your employees despite the different work settings? Discuss these with your upper management leaders.
Set Clear Work-From-Home Communication Rules
Collaboration and communication are the basics of a flexible work environment. Your preferred communication channels and required work schedules must be set from the very beginning. If you plan on giving your employees flexible working time, at least establish a uniform time you expect them to be online. You can also plan with the other company leaders the frequency of your weekly, monthly, quarterly, and yearly team conferences.
Here are the employee activities you can prepare for:
- One-on-one feedback and coaching
- Whole team meeting
- Performance review and appraisal
- Employee training and development sessions
- Project meetings with clients
State and Document The Legal Rights Your Remote Talents Have
Taking your remote workers’ benefits for granted may lead to violations related to workplace discrimination. Discuss with them early on their clear benefits, training, work schedule, promotion opportunities, and overtime rules. To ensure that you are legally compliant with your employees, talents, or subcontractors, discuss these with your legal team.
Ask About Your Potential Talent’s Work Equipment
Upon recruiting, ask the talent if he has all the equipment needed for the job at home. If this is an urgent role that needs more equipment than usual, see if it’s wiser to have him work from the office, or reimburse him for the necessary equipment.
Types of Work-From-Home Equipment You Might Need
1. Computer with internet connection
The quality and features of the computer will depend on the software required for the job. Sometimes, one’s personal computer or laptop may not be compatible with the programs needed. Always identify the exact specs you require for each computer.
2. Fast Internet and Data Speed
Most businesses with flexible workforce offer allowance to their employees for internet and data maintenance.
3. Communication Accessories
If the employee’s day-to-day job includes taking calls or meeting with clients through video calls, a webcam and a headset would be absolute essentials.
4. Software and Apps
There is a lot of free software that you can use for collaboration. However, there is also paid software that will make your team’s work a whole lot easier. Identify which software tools you can invest in for each urgent role in your company.
Meanwhile, here are some of the collaboration apps you and your team can enjoy for free:
- Flock
- Slack
- Microsoft Teams
- Twist
- Discord
- Zoho Cliq
- Rocket.Chat
For project management, here is a list of the best software you can get for free:
- Yodiz
- Zoho Projects
- Toggl Plan
- Zenkit
- Hitask
- Podio
- Paymo
- ActiveCollab
- Basecamp
- Redbooth
- Freedcamp
- TeamGantt
When interviewing job candidates for a remote job, ask them about the collaboration tools they have used. Know which productivity tools they’re familiar with. Remote work is more compatible with tech-savvy talents, and those who are willing to learn.
In the end, your policies should help you well in getting the quality and quantity of the outputs you require from your team.
Spotting the Right Remote Employee
Aside from the qualifications for the job, you’ll know a talent will be an effective remote employee when he has the following qualities.
Top-Notch Communication Skills
The only way to collaborate well with your team virtually is through effective communication and the initiative to connect.
Resourceful
Since their superiors and colleagues are not beside them to guide them step-by-step, they should know where to find answers. They should also be open to learning new tools and processes to get their work done.
Collaborative
Effective remote or hybrid employees will always find time to collaborate with the team and execute high-quality projects on time.
Motivated
A dependable remote worker is motivated enough to do his tasks even when no one’s watching.
Organized
Last but not least, you need someone who is organized enough to have his own decent working space with fewer distractions. You also want someone who can store projects, and other company files neatly digitally.
Responsible and Reliable
One unreliable and passive talent from your team can affect the quality of everyone’s work. Get someone who has an excellent work ethic, a talent whom other members of the team can lean on in times of challenges.
Adaptable
A flexible setup may also mean a global workforce with different time zones and cultures in the team. Being adaptable is a must for a harmonious professional relationship with co-workers.
Conclusion
Technology has made it possible for businesses to thrive using a flexible workforce. This is what makes this work setup in demand today. In the past, the fleet of employees was required to physically be at the office 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. Today, businesses use software to leverage and make their workforce more efficient and productive. There will always be a place for the office-based workforce, but the flexible workforce is here to stay. As featured in Forbes, 92% of millennials prioritize flexibility in the workplace over any other benefits when choosing a company. A flexible workforce will not only help you increase productivity, but it’ll also help you retain the overhead resources you’ve already made investments in.
