Remote work, via telephone and fax, was promoted as early as the 1970s by the French public authorities “who saw it as a way of developing the territory[1]”. However, it was not until the COVID-19 crisis that remote work took off. Following this event, remote work grew by 44% in Europe[2].
Remote work has become a major issue to consider in companies. That’s why we want to help you take advantage of this new approach. We will explain why remote work management is essential and what good practices to adopt to achieve your goals.
Remote working: a fundamental trend
Firstly, what is the reality of this trend? A study by the professional network, LinkedIn, shows us a growing interest in teleworking. LinkedIn analysed data from 1 March 2020 to 31 May 2020.
These figures showed that over this period :
- Remote job posting increased by 136% in France[3] ;
- The increase in the number of views on these jobs was 133%[4] ;
- Applications for remote jobs were up by 91%[5].
It is therefore clear that remote work has seen a clear increase in 2020. This growth then materialised in 2021. Employees worked remotely on average 3.6 days per week compared to 1.6 days at the end of 2019[6].
And the trend is becoming more pronounced as the figures from a study by Owl Labs in 5 European countries show. For example, applicants might refuse a job offer if :
- Flexible working hours are not allowed (37%)[7] ;
- Workplaces are not flexible (28%);
- Full-time office work is required (28%).
Looking at these studies, it becomes clear that telework has already made its mark on the market. For this reason, it is important to recognise and adapt to this new approach if you hope to attract talent.
The benefits of remote work for your company
While trends are interesting to study, they are not necessarily performance criteria. That’s why we’re going to detail the benefits of remote work.
Work-life balance
The first quality of teleworking is that it allows employees to balance their work and private lives with ease. If your team members telework, they can enjoy more flexible working hours, while still being productive.
Increased employee well-being
Giving employees more room to manoeuvre will significantly improve their well-being. If they feel better at work, it is obvious that they will be more involved in their work and the quality will be positively affected. In addition, it is an ideal way to retain employees and reduce staff turnover.
Making valuable savings
By fully embracing teleworking, a company can also significantly optimise its operating costs. If you reduce the number of face-to-face teams, there is no need to own or rent large and expensive premises. Instead, a pleasant and optimised workspace is sufficient. A Stanford study, for example, showed that one company saved $2,000 per employee in office rent by teleworking[8].
Enjoying productivity gains
Many managers think that teleworking means lower productivity. In fact, the opposite is true. Teleworking increases employee productivity by 5 to 30%[9]. Moreover, it tends to reduce absenteeism [10] and if it were generalised could increase France’s productivity by 5 to 9% in 20 years[11].
Steps to successful telework management
Once you have established this, it is necessary to act. If you want to try out teleworking or if your employees already work remotely, it is essential to improve the efficiency of this approach. To do this, you just need to apply some good practices. These are important because they combine the freedom of employees with the efficiency, they expect to achieve their goals.
Select the right profiles
First of all, it is necessary to ask yourself whether everyone is suited to working remotely. While some employees actively seek the freedom of teleworking, others prefer to work in an office. For this reason, it is essential to select employees very carefully to offer them teleworking.
To manage from home, your employees must be trusted and independent. They must also be autonomous and have the discipline to work alone and deliver quality work. The desire to share is another key element for effective teleworking. Indeed, it is essential that employees meet regularly by video conference and exchange messages and documents. This group cohesion will promote performance.
Training in telework management
In order to manage effectively, it can be very useful to train in the specific methods of telework management. You can ask the HR department to help you improve your skills in these areas. In particular, you will learn to use the essential tools of collaborative work and to unite energies around common objectives despite the distance.
Establish a clear working framework
While every employee is happy to gain freedom, you must not lose sight of your objectives. Therefore, from the very beginning of teleworking, rules must be clearly established. This obviously concerns working hours, but also the tasks and responsibilities of each employee.
Motivating employees
Finally, the element that will condition the efficiency of the group is of course the cohesion of the team and the fluidity of exchanges. At all times, your employees must remain motivated and have a certain closeness to the other team members. It is therefore necessary to encourage and involve them in the work.
This is why tools and information should be centralised via an online collaboration platform. Everyone can contact a team member at any time, send a document or organise a meeting on the fly. It is all these little moments and practical actions that will promote the team’s efficiency and make remote work as enjoyable as it is productive.
[1] Carré D. and Craipeau S. Between delocalization and mobility: analysis of entrepreneurial teleworking strategies, Technologies de l’Information et Société, 1996
[2] Hubspot, Retrospective 2021: teleworking figures in France, 2022
[3] LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Telework trend analysis, 2020
[4] ibid
[5] ibid
[6] Oberlo, 10 key figures for telework, 2023
[7] Owl Labs, State of Hybrid Work 2022: Europe, 2022
[8] Inc.com, A 2-year Stanford study shows the astonishing productivity boost of working from home, 2018
[9] silae, Teleworking boosts productivity, accessed February 2023
[10] Ministry of Economy, Finance and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty, Entreprises, ce que vous devez savoir sur le télétravail, 2022
[11] La tribune, D’ici à 20 ans, le télétravail pourrait booster la productivité de la France, 2022
