Online Meetings, Desktop Access 'Must Have' For Working Remotely

Embroiled in a volatile economy, more companies are considering the merits of a virtual workplace for some or all of their employees but are not sure how to get started. The Worldwide Workplace Council — an elite group of thought leaders and advocates for a location-independent workforce brought together by Citrix Online — has outlined a simple set of guidelines designed to help businesses make the shift to location independence. Titled ‘Five Simple Steps to a Virtual Workplace Program’, the new report builds on a study commissioned by Citrix Online to determine the implications of the trend to virtual working.

The market is clearly primed for a more flexible workplace. According to the Citrix Online survey, a fifth of the respondents in the US would relinquish 5 percent of their salary to be able to work away from the office just one or two days a week, although 56 percent ‘never’ get the opportunity. When small businesses surveyed were asked about the criteria for making this a reality, the top requirements were the availability of ‘low-cost and easy-to-use’ technologies.

“In order to be successful in any economic climate, companies need a business model that is very cost-effective, and taking advantage of virtual work practices can make a huge difference,” said Chuck Wilsker, a member of the Worldwide Workplace Council and president and CEO of the Telework Coalition. “Everything needed to create a virtual work environment is readily available: simple-to-use and low-cost technologies; policies, practices and procedures; and a desire on the part of employees to have these arrangements. The businesses that go about it the right way will see enormous benefits.”

Highlights from ‘Five Simple Steps to a Virtual Workplace’

Step 1: Determine the specific needs of your organisation: It’s critical to factor how business benefits that can accrue from a virtual work environment will impact your organisation’s strategy, e.g., the ability to hire regardless of location, real estate facilities impacts, business-travel expense reductions, etc. And while giving employees the opportunity to work remotely may seem to make sense, it’s important to evaluate their thoughts and opinions to ensure a win-win before making any changes.

Step 2: Go online for best practices for managing a virtual workplace: The report advocates some good old-fashioned research, a process that’s become easier with the wealth of resources now available on the subject, and the availability of organisations such as The Future of Work ( http://www.thefutureofwork.net ), The Telework Foundation ( http://www.telcoa.com ) and Telework Exchange ( http://teleworkexchange.com )

Step 3: Identify the technologies best suited to enabling employees to remain productive: The report indicates that most professionals, who routinely work remotely, rely mostly on e-mail and cell phones, unaware of the many low-cost, simple-to-use technologies that offer far greater functionality. For example, Web conferencing tools make it easy to hold meetings online, while remote-support technologies help resolve employee computer issues quickly. High-quality and affordable audio conferencing services are now within reach of any size organisation.

Step 4: Set policy guidelines for managing your virtual workforce: It’s not just about making life easier for employees with more flexible work schedules. This is a new way — the Web-enabled way — of approaching business operations, and it calls for a set of terms and conditions to be outlined between employees and their managers.

Step 5: Set benchmarks and measure effectiveness. Be prepared to evaluate the impact of your virtual workplace using metrics that consider both the employee (like productivity, morale and retention) and the business (revenue impacts, travel-expense reductions from more frequent use of collaboration technologies, overhead considerations by having fewer employees in a central facility, etc).

“This isn’t just about working from home or working from the road when it’s convenient,” said Bernardo de Albergaria, vice president and general manager for Global Marketing and eCommerce, Citrix Online. “Mostly, a location-independent workplace offers companies a way to dramatically change their business model. By adopting online remote access and collaboration tools, organisations can instantly reduce their overhead costs, hire the best talent no matter where they live and increase their employees’ productivity by providing them with greater flexibility to manage their work schedules. Using simple and inexpensive access and collaboration technologies, businesses can empower their employees to increase productivity and their work/ life balance while conserving resources. The ‘Five Simple Steps to a Virtual Workplace’ is a straightforward guide that any organisation can use to start building an environment in which employees can get work done from anywhere.”