Millions more of us are working from home than ever before. Even back in 2012, Wrike.com surveyed 1074 workers and found that 83% of them were working at home for at least part of the day. You probably have staff working at home – and enjoying it. There are bonuses to being in a workplace, but survey respondents indicated that 7% would sacrifice free meals and 25% would even have accepted a minor salary reduction.
Apart from boosting morale, as well as protecting health, working at home can be facilitated by adopting policies and tools to boost communication and security and take your pyjama-wearing staff’s productivity up a step.
The key to success is giving staff the ability to access your computer network remotely. Work completed is then saved on a remote server where it’s backed up and secure. This has clear advantages over staff saving work on the hard drive of their local PC. Accessibility is the obvious bonus, but the increased risk of data loss (think kids and pets!) is properly managed.
Using the Cloud
Cloud computing is a wonderful facility for remote working and for people working on the move. All data, from all connected devices and workstations, is regularly backed up. Another level of protection is that troubleshooting is made easier. Communication is streamlined and IT can directly connect in order to investigate and service any technical problems that may arise.
Remote Access Aids Good Management
Remote working offers some challenges but also tools to manage it all. Are you concerned that productivity might drop? Or that all sorts of strange devices might be connecting to your network. Terminal servers and clouds facilitate regulation of remote access, so that all the controls, protocols, protections and permissions that apply in the workplace still function when employees login from elsewhere.
You can also track employee activity and time usage, if you’re concerned about time-wasting. It’s easy to keep in contact with your staff, so there’s speedy communication, avoiding dead time and delays. Tools like VoIP include multiple useful features, including teleconferencing and instant messaging. With these and a smartphone you can keep in contact with your staff without even forgetting that they’re at home and not in the office next door!
To get the most out of remote working and your telecommuting policies and technology, give Quikteks a call at (973) 822-4644, to discuss remote access and the options available to you and your company.