Leveraging a distributed workforce to accelerate your business transformation

As the world slowly starts to reopen, companies must deliberately reconsider how their workplaces operate and how they support their employees going forward. Reopening doesn’t automatically mean returning people back to workspaces. Many organizations are considering partial or full-time remote working arrangements as their operating model going forward. In fact, 74% of organizations say they intend to increase remote work following the pandemic.

Rather than a hardline remote-versus-office situation, there’s an opportunity to usher in new, hybrid ways of working. With a distributed workforce, companies have one or more employees working in different physical locations — some may be in the office while others are at home, at a client site, coworking or working from other remote locations. This model recognizes each employee’s functional and geographical uniqueness and appreciates that certain processes need not be delivered from the traditional office location. It’s about enhancing their working experience to encourage more productivity and continue to meet business objectives.

Here are some tips that can make it work for your business:

1.  Choose the right employees for the right work. Ask how they prefer to work and where they’re most productive. Give them some say, but also ensure they can thrive in a distributed work environment, and that they have a proven record of being responsive and accountable for their work output.

2.  Give every employee the tools, training and infrastructure they need to succeed. If they prefer to work at the office, leaders must ensure that office spaces adhere to physical distancing and safety guidelines in the post-COVID-19 era. That might require redesigning collaborative workspaces and being mindful of people’s psychological fears in the aftermath of the pandemic.

3.  Communicate, communicate, communicate. Managers and supervisors must keep all lines of communication open with team members, and that could include sending notes or minutes after long virtual meetings to ensure everyone’s clear on their tasks. Leaders must ensure workers know they can reach out any time. Regular touch base sessions should focus on critical deliverables to ensure alignment of expectations.

4.  Set and review goals regularly. Goal setting can help employees remember their objectives while working on daily tasks and allows managers to have a clear road map about the business’ broader aims and desired results.

5.  Put trust on centre stage. Managers must trust employees to complete their work and employees must trust managers to help and support them, even if they’re a province away. Managers should also ensure workers stick to set schedules and aren’t routinely working long hours or overtime — something that can be easy to do when working remotely.

6.  Don’t forget about the importance of face-to-face contact. Video and conference calls shouldn’t entirely replace in-person meetings. Holding at least some face-to-face meetings with staff, with the proper safety protocols in place amid the COVID-19 pandemic, can help build relationships between team members and leaders.

7.  Structure and planning is key. Regular check-in meetings, a semi-structured work day and work schedules are helpful to ensure that work is effectively distributed among employees. Again, communication, questions, input and feedback should be encouraged from all team members.

COVID-19 has prompted businesses, governments and workers around the globe to rethink the future of work and accelerated the growing trend to remote work. But it’s also underscored that remote work isn’t viable for every employee or every organization.

Moving to a distributed workforce model allows a mix of work styles and setups, ensures employees are heard and helps employers get the best work out of the most suitable people on their teams, ensuring their business objectives are met and propelling them to success.

Is your company ready to embrace a distributed workforce model? Access more insight on how to respond at www.ey.com/en_ca/covid-19.