There are signs that remote work does not always work as expected.
In a DXC Leading Edge paper however, DXC Technology Senior Researcher & Advisor, Dr. Alex Kokkonen, explains the four steps organizations can take to make remote work a success.
The benefits of remote working
In the DXC paper, Dr. Kokkonen discusses the benefits and challenges of remote working.
Remote work can provide a competitive advantage for companies through increasing productivity, saving costs per employee, and decreasing the number of work absences.
Research in the paper reveals that remote working might also increase diversity, both in terms of identity and geography. Plus, a major benefit for employees of remote work is the reduction in commuting costs and time.
Challenges of remote working
Yet, there are some challenges to this way of working, so Dr. Kokkonen outlines how remote work tests trust, especially between remote workers and non-remote workers. Problems can also arise when a company tries to force in-work office practices into a remote working environment, reducing flexibility but incurring problems of remote communication.
Solutions for making remote working work
For Dr. Kokkonen, making remote working work is about identifying what practices help employees and leadership accomplish goals in a different, remote environment. Dr. Kokkonen suggests four basic steps to enable the change:
- Leadership must send the right message by adopting remote working practices.
- Automate feedback loops by binding company strategy to Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and automate the measurements.
- Empower management team to choose the approach best suited to their work, upskill managers in remote work techniques, and provide tools to support them.
- Empower the workforce by teaching time management, embracing knowledge management and providing a good work environment.
DXC Technology, as a virtual-first company, has the experience and expertise from women like Dr. Kokkonen to guide companies on remote work and provides modern workplace services to other organizations.
Read the full article from Dr. Kokkonen.
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