Remote working is a growing trend and it’s easy to see why. It’s safe to say, as a society, that work/life balance was becoming increasingly more difficult but with 68% of businesses in the UK now offering their staff flexible working arrangements, things are changing.
Globally, over the last 15 years, we have seen a 159% increase in the number of people working remotely and a huge part of the reason for this is developments in technology.
Communication is easier than ever with collaboration platforms such as Microsoft Teams and SharePoint, and on-demand access to files and data has been made possible by other cloud services. In fact, with the technology we have today, you can make anything from a train carriage to a sun lounger your workplace away from the office.
Learn more about technology trends that have changed how we do business >
However, if there’s one thing technology can’t help us with when it comes to remote working, it’s staying focussed. Your office space is a tailored environment designed to motivate and concentrate your efforts; a balcony overlooking the pool or busy coffee shop, on the other hand, has a hundred distractions to tempt you with. So here’s:
5 Tip For Effective Remote Working:
#1 Avoid free Wifi
Not only does free Wifi pose a cyber security risk but it can also be criminally slow; the minute that buffering wheel appears your concentration is gone and before you know it, you’re under the people-watching spell.
The best solution here is to use a Mifi device or tether to your smartphone. Using your own bandwidth will result in greater cyber security and more efficient working.
#2 Access granted
There’s nothing more demotivating than sitting down to finish that report and realising you don’t have access to the documents you need to do the job.
Using a digital workspace like Microsoft SharePoint can give you access to all your documents and files wherever you are. Documents can be edited in location and other team members can be notified of changes and updates. In fact, having your staff work from a digital workspace is good practice aside from remote working.
#3 Missed calls
Remember setting up those diverts from your office phone to your mobile? Some bizarre cryptic combination of digits and one slip of a finger and your back to where you started.
Digital phone systems, also known as Voice over IP (VoIP) systems, are the fasted growing technology in business telecoms today with countless features and benefits.
One of the biggest benefits when remote working is within the VoIP mobile app which turns your mobile phone into your desk phone – anyone calls your office; it rings straight through to your smartphone.
#4 Out of office
Even though you plan to work whilst you’re away from the office, it pays to let people know you’re away from your desk. A simple auto-responder to explain you may not reply to emails in your usual prompt manner always helps to manage customer expectations and ease the pressure on yourself.
#5 Divide your time
If your time away from the office is for a holiday, be sure to assign limited time to work – perhaps an hour on the balcony with your morning coffee. But be strict; letting your work eat into your day while you’re really thinking about the beach or nearby golf course can be pretty unproductive.
Jupiter IT Is More Than IT Support – It’s IT Consultancy
Remember, at Jupiter IT, we’re about more than just resolving your IT issues and installing new hardware; we’re here to guide, advise and train our clients to make sure you’re getting the most from your tech.
If you’re not using any of these remote technologies in your business yet, get in touch, we’ll happily discuss which would see your business benefit the most.
