Remote working increase
The development and adaption of cloud computing has made remote working even more accessible, however, not all companies are embracing the idea. eolas looks at some of the benefits and concerns around working outside of company offices.
Wider rollout of broadband across Ireland has led to greater usage of cloud technology and facilitated more staff operating outside of an office. The second annual Regional Business Barometer Study by telecoms and cloud services provider Magnet recently highlighted that over 60 per cent of IT decision makers surveyed said that they have staff regularly working from home and over half say that some staff work on the road. The survey of 540 varying sizes of business across all eight regional authorities, carried out in January, also showed that the number of businesses surveyed who have introduced a cloud system for their staff and clients has jumped from 23 per cent to 58 per cent since 2015.
Businesses with only between one to nine staff appear to be the most supportive of remote working, with around two thirds saying that staff regularly work from home. For companies with over 250 employees that figure falls to just 15 per cent. 46 per cent of companies with listed working from home as a primary benefit to cloud adoption, although 55 per cent also pointed to mobility, showing a distinction between working from home and working in a different remote location or on the road. Cost was the main primary benefit of 58 per cent of those surveyed and greater productivity was favoured by 37 per cent.
Despite an obvious growth in cloud computing and subsequent remote working, only 51 per cent of businesses surveyed said that they have implemented cloud services.
Implementation is highest in Dublin and the South West (both 58 per cent) and uptake is higher among larger companies. 68 per cent of companies with 50-249 employees surveyed said that they had implemented cloud services and that figure rose to 70 per cent for companies with more than 250 employees. Security concerns around cloud adaption have risen, with around 20 per cent of businesses listing it as a deterrent for cloud adoption.
Advantages
As the Government’s National Broadband plan continues to roll out, there are obvious benefits to increased levels of remote working. These include:
Skipping the commute
With broadband access to rural Ireland set to be dramatically increased, long-journeys to company offices could also decline, with employees opting to utilize the commute time and make their working day more efficient. It may also save the company or employee money in travel expenditure, while extending the talent pool from which employers can choose if not bound by location.
Productivity
Increased productivity can be brought about via flexibility. Not everyone opting to take advantage of remote working will necessarily be working for home and there are a number of scenarios where remote working might lead to better productivity. These include people working on the road and those employed by the company on a contract basis, who may also have their own remote office but need to communicate regularly with a business and their information. Flexibility also suits those who work better in different locations, employees may work more productively in complete silence or in a social setting, away from an office format.
Connectivity
Depending on the job type, people working away from the office have a greater opportunity to network and meet with contacts and clients, improving the visibility of the company’s brand. It also suits employees and business who work across different time zones, allowing people to adjust their working hours to those best suited to do business.
Illness
Offering people the alternative to work from home has also been listed as possibly decreasing a company’s level of sick days. Staff avoiding the office for contagious illnesses such as colds or infections, may still be willing to work.
Disadvantages
Probably the most high profile reverse on the idea of remote working came from the CEO of Yahoo, Marissa Meyer, who in 2013, suggested that communication and collaboration was the driving force behind recalling remote workers to an office space. Other companies have followed suit, while companies such as Google have adopted a different approach and tried to create an office environment suited to meeting employee needs and encouraging them to want to be on site. Some of the disadvantages linked with remote working are:
Collaboration
As Meyer suggested in Yahoo’s decision, there are many who believe in the advantage of office collaboration. Team unity, social interaction and the idea of an office bond are touted as traits potentially lost through remote working. This can also be raised for work with clients, being accessible and having face to face meetings with customers and partners are highly valued. Being physically visible has also been linked to greater accountability and possibility for promotion, while potentially diminishing concerns around isolation and social exclusion for an employee.
Accountability
While remote working has been linked with greater productivity, there remains a stigma around accountability. Often not being seen to be physically at a desk or a computer can fuel assumptions that an employee is doing less than if they were being monitored. Accountability has also been put forward as a greater workload for managers. Ensuring that employees are being productive during the hours a company is paying them to do so is more difficult when they are not physically present.
Security
With the wider adoption of cloud computing the number of staff accessing company information services remotely has also increased. That increase has fuelled concerns around security and companies seeking to protect their information and equipment from potentially dangerous sources.
Technology
Even with growing advances, the dependability of technology cannot always be guaranteed. Any break down of services internally of externally in regards to remote working can led to less productivity than if an employee was in an office.
