Engineering a remote work reality

BitDepth#1315

IT TAKES a human resources professional to rephrase the glamour of work from home and its trendy acronym, WFH, into proper HR terms.

That's what Jonathan Cumberbatch, assistant vice president, human resources and administration at UTT, did for attendees at Thursday's Chamber of Commerce webinar, when he offered up the proper and workmanlike description for such initiatives – alternative workplace arrangements or AWA.

That falls a bit short of hipper terms like WFH and remote work, even the dated telecommuting but there's still something to be said for AWA, which fits neatly into colloquialisms such as, "So, yuh still wukking, AWA?"

On March 30, Statista.com reported that 30 per cent of the global workforce is working from home, with 56 per cent of those surveyed in AWA arrangements for less than a year.

Cumberbatch believes our percentage may match or be higher than that, given the scale of employment by the State and its switch to remote work and rotation work arrangements during the pandemic.

Cumberbatch noted that for AWA to work to a company's benefit, the business must first commit to being flexible.

A policy must be created, online systems for applicants should be part of the planning; the duration of remote work and systems for monitoring agreed on.

"Lockdown," he acknowledged, "was thrust on many without any opportunity for planning and organisation."

For Lara Quentrall-Thomas of Regency Recruitment, communication is critical to any alternative work arrangement.

At Regency, HR services had to go online across the spectrum, including recruitment, on-boarding and orientation, exit interviews and staff farewells, retrenchment consultations and performance management.

“It's very important to communicate clearly with teams and staff," Quentrall-Thomas said.

"Effective communication is more than just typing an e-mail. I've had to be available to my staff 24/7. Because things happen.

"Many of us have found that the day is much, much longer. It's been a lonely year for a business owner. But your staff should never feel that.

"Communicating expectations is critical in managing remote teams. Processes should be clearly defined and documented and constantly reviewed to ensure that the systems are working.

"Be clear and inclusive in your language, use communications to foster inclusion and a sense of belonging."

Quentrall-Thomas encouraged companies to review their HR policies with Marie Kondo enthusiasm, being open to keeping, tossing or changing procedures, policies and rules to ensure that they remain relevant to the workplace.

"Isolation is a real thing; depression is a real thing." She cautioned.

"People need to feel included, informed and empowered. They need to be trained and tooled up, ready to handle the realities of the new workplace and the uncertainties ahead.

"A lot of this is performance art, being helpful while having a meltdown."

Shinelle Grant-Sealy of PwC noted the shift from WFH to WFX, work from anywhere.

In a PwC survey, employers were ready to return to the office but employees were not quite so keen.

"There has to be a mindset shift to adopt the paradigm shift," Grant-Sealy said.

"At PwC, the policy is work when you want, leave when you want, just get your work done."

"Covid19," Grant-Sealy noted, has brought HR to the [management] table if they weren't there before and [it's] where they should always have been."

During the pandemic, she noted, there has been increased pressure from employers to "prove that you are working from home."

Responding to that issue, Cumberbatch noted, "If you are looking over your employee's shoulder to see what they are doing, it suggests that you have forgotten what you gave them to do and when you expect to get it."

Mark Lyndersay is the editor of technewstt.com. An expanded version of this column can be found there