Working from home
This crisis could have a long-term effect on how people work in the future. For may people, it may be the first time they have worked from home. For those that really enjoy the office environment, this could be a very difficult time as they will not like the isolation of working from home. For others, they will wonder why they spend so long getting to and from the office on a daily basis. When I travel around by car, I invariably end up in some town’s rush-hour and wonder why the locals go through that every day.
The employers need to trust their staff, which is often why employers are reluctant to allow people to “work from home”. But this brings us nicely into an application of the SM & CR Codes of Conduct and company ethics. How do people behave when their boss is not looking? For many people, their activities can still be monitored. But for others, it will be up to them to structure their time to undertake their duties. Working from home requires discipline and structure and probably routine. Sorting out their workstation to make sure everything works and they can perform their duties. Making sure that they are dressed and ready to work at a certain time. Starting and stopping at certain times. Taking breaks at certain times.
I have worked from home for many years. Actually, making sure that I do my job is not simply an act of righteous good behaviour. My motivation is that if I do not do enough work, I cannot pay my mortgage or other bills. Quite a stark reality.
Nearly all of my business can be done remotely from my clients with the provision of various logins. I could literally work from anywhere in the world with an internet connection and indeed I keep my work ticking over whilst on holiday by answering emails and doing little bits in the times when I am in the hotel room.
Seminars become webinars
Many businesses are keeping in touch with their staff by conference calling and or Skype calling. This enables some face to face contact and conversation which seems to be preferable than an old- fashioned telephone call.
Many businesses are already running training sessions for their staff by conference call and computer-based training.
Providers have historically run seminars to get their messages out. I attend some seminars with providers, but the main benefits are meeting other advisers and picking up pens and mugs.
Holding webinars gets the same message out, without the expenses of a venue and hospitality. It saves the audience expense and time travelling to the venue.
Webinars and conference calls tend to be shorter and more succinct. Literature can be sent be email. So, no wasted stationery costs.
I am sure that there will still be seminars in the future as they are good social occasions, but I wonder whether they will become rarer as providers realise the efficiencies in cost and time that are offered by webinars.
I have run a whole training and competence campaign of meeting observations with a firm by Skype. I ran through the whole advice process involving first meetings and presentation meetings for 11 advisers in separate Skype calls with feedback by emails and file notes. The firm was based in North Devon and I am just outside Brighton.
Continue reading article…
