Introducing remote working practices means looking at a company’s whole culture, analysing how people currently work within that environment, and finding smarter, more flexible ways of achieving their business goals.

For some companies, this can be a real eye opener, exposing working practices that are outdated and inefficient, in terms of both time and energy. As many companies are discovering, embracing more modern working patterns enables them to reduce costs, as well as attracting and keeping talented staff. Concerns still remain, however about the impact of remote working on employee productivity, effective team building and network security.

Technology has revolutionised the workplace, allowing remote workers to pick up email, consult company databases and browse corporate files, among many other activities. While technology is important – innovations like broadband and wireless kick-started the remote revolution, after all, and advances in virtual private networks, voice over IP and mobile devices have fuelled its continuation – it is not the whole story.

Good working practices are at least as critical to success. Employers need to define where flexible working is appropriate, identify people for the roles and provide them with the tools to remotely access emails and other services, so they can update records, place orders, access price lists, check stocks and so on. Staff also need to be trained and motivated to make good use of the tools they are given.

Managing groups of employees who are geographically distanced from each other and from their managers – sometimes across international boundaries – is not the same as managing people in a conventional office environment. Managers need to adopt a new style, moving away from a directive style towards a more facilitating and supporting approach. Flexible working requires a management style that empowers, rather than controls, people.

Running ‘virtual teams’ requires good communications, excellent leadership and effective knowledge sharing. With virtual communication via media such as video and conference calls often replacing face-to-face meetings, the need for a defined strategy leading to clear communication is essential.

Up to 100 users can be linked together in a videoconference at a time. How well those users collaborate and work together will depend, not on the quality of the hardware, but on the quality of the communications.

Security is another concern. Home offices, mobile devices, broadband and wireless connections all introduce security risks. Dealing with these risks requires a planned approach. Remote workers should be trained to regard themselves as custodians of company security, taking on some of the responsibilities of an IT department in a traditional office-based set-up. This includes being responsible for the physical security of equipment, virus security and backing up information.

Points to remember when introducing remote working practices:

• Adopt a more supportive, facilitating management style towards your virtual teams.
• Give them the training to use the communication and management tools you provide.
• Make sure remote workers have full access to the corporate network from remote locations.
• Best practice should include policies for securing remote access and training for workers to ensure they are conscious of security when working out of the office.