January 2018
Update Failed: Should Brands Really Woo Millennials with Gimmicks to Stave off Remote Working?
It’s no secret that many professionals – especially millennials and those with young families – are attracted to the tempting idea of working from home, a café or even abroad. In fact, whole schemes have been set up offering young people the opportunity to travel the world in a large group whilst working remotely. They can tick off a few places from their bucket list and build their skills simultaneously.
Scouting Ahead
Employees aren’t the only ones benefiting, either. The rise of remote working has brought with it multiple advantages for employers: there’s the reduced cost around office space, the ability to grow a team quickly, and the all-important access to a much wider range of talent. The latter is especially important. For a while, employers were limited to hiring individuals in the area, or who were willing to pick up their lives and move or commute every day. Inevitably, that limits the sort of skills that can be tapped into.
By including remote working as a practice of the business, employers have been able to seek individuals much further afield, rather than ‘settling’ for local talent. This has helped startups and medium-sized businesses alike explode overnight, and has connected much of the startup community with each other.
However, just as quickly as remote working became a popular choice amongst small businesses, opponents to the new way of getting things done made their voices heard – and they like the old way of doing things.
The Traditional Alternative
Tradition dictates that a team must be together in the same office, working as a hive, and critics are implementing this idea with a fresh outlook on what the workplace means.
Now, rather than being greeted with the so-called ‘cube farms’ of the past, you’re much more likely to see a ping pong table or some bean bags scattered around. Stand-up desks are being brought in to persuade more health-conscious employees that their wellbeing is considered, whilst breakout areas have become the norm to de-stress. Meanwhile, landlords are catering to these businesses by offering office spaces complete with built-in bars and other gimmicky features.
But before we judge their tactics, it’s important to see their side of things. When considering the amount of trust that goes into offering remote working – are people being honest with their time, is work getting done etc. – it’s no real surprise that some employers are opting instead to create a ‘destination workplace’. Is there a way to change their minds?
How to Do It Right
Of course, implementing the right tools can assuage any real concerns about remote working. For example, if employees engaging with one another is an issue – what if someone isn’t contactable when their colleagues need them? – then a system which enables straightforward communication and data sharing features is a must.
A cloud-based solution accessible from anywhere in the world also sidesteps technical issues, and third party integration allows for proper workflow management using familiar applications.
In short, there’s a way to offer remote working without investing in a Silicon Valley-style office and with much less of the worry. Indeed, by introducing a bespoke CRM, employers can instead move forward with their competitors and prospective employees, all whilst give their employment offering a welcome upgrade.
And not a ping pong table in sight.
Make your remote working opportunities a reality with a bespoke CRM solution. Our cloud-based CRM was built to take businesses further – to find out more, request your free demo or feel free to explore our website.
Image: Brad Stallcup via Stocksnap.io