From Office to Home: Smart Working Tips That Work Everywhere
Smart working strategies bring many benefits both for businesses and for individuals. Smart working is all about flexibility, the ability to work in any environment at any time and remain productive. For managers, it’s a case of exercising core competencies from a distance as well as face to face, and of course, making effective use of all the available channels of communication.
So how to best manage smart working teams in the office or at home? Let’s take a look.
1. Make flexibility normal
Making flexible working the new normal rather than an exception to the rule will help workers better accept it as a way of life rather than something unusual they need to adapt to.
Making flexible working open to everyone, unless there is a specific reason why it shouldn’t be, will help draw the best benefits from it.
2. Form a trust-based culture
Smart working revolves around a culture of trust, so it’s important to show employees that you have faith in them to work in any way they see fit, providing you offer relevant guidance.
A demonstration of trust often results in higher staff loyalty, as well as an inclination to do whatever is possible to achieve the best results. In other words, it’s a win-win situation.
3. Manage by results rather than presence
Rather than judging performance on how often an employee turns up and sits at a traditional desk in the office, focus instead on the quality of their output.
Of course, this will take some planning in as much as setting precedents, but once benchmarks are in place, it should be plain sailing as to how to measure the value of the staff member’s contributions.
4. Set team agreements
Smart working works best when team members are aware of how, when and where their colleagues are working.
Communication is vital, so be sure to provide channels through which team members can talk to each other and stay updated. From online shared calendars and workflow systems to the likes of Slack channels and social media to stay connected, share knowledge and support each other, technology has all the answers in this respect.
Many businesses put team agreements in place to take care of issues such as providing cover for each other’s work when necessary, as well as protecting downtime so that the right work-life balance is maintained.
5. Be supportive
The more you support staff, the greater level of productivity you’ll realise. Here are some ideas that work well for both for remote and in-office working:
- Hold regular meetings, whether these are virtual or in-person, so that interaction is actively promoted between team members.
- Showcase team achievements, such as how customers have enjoyed the added value and how contributions have helped raise company profile or support the local community.
- Encourage innovation and the sharing of ideas and be sure to make it straightforward for remote working team members to contribute.
- Always reach out to show appreciation to everyone for a job well done, especially remote workers who may feel isolated and left out of the team.
Smart working doesn’t always have to be about remote working. It’s more about being flexible; offering drop-in spaces, for example, so staff can enjoy the best of both worlds, working from home when it suits or dropping in when they feel the need.
When thinking about offices to let, smart working should be one of your key considerations. Look at the flexibility of the space on offer. Does it provide a range of options, from co-working spaces and connected lounges to breakout areas, meeting rooms and conference zones?
Smart Working at The Mille – Flexible Office Space to Let in Brentford
The Mille is a beautifully refurbished landmark building located on the Great West Road in Brentford. Offering traditional offices combined with serviced meeting rooms and co-working spaces, it does have all the business owner needs to promote smart working.
If you are looking for an office to let Brentford as an area has so much to offer. From ample green spaces to exceptional transport links, it is the ideal place to locate your business.
Why not talk to one of our sole agents to arrange a viewing at The Mille? You could soon be enjoying all the benefits of smart working from a very attractive West London base.