Is WFH The New Normal?
The recruitment industry is just part of the 61% of workers now logging in from home (an increase from just 24% of workers being home-based at the beginning of 2020) and with such a huge growth in the number of home workers we know that a lot of the companies we are helping to recruit new team members are also carrying out interviews from home offices and via digital communications – and most of the job seekers are continuing their search from desk spaces in their own homes.
How, as recruiters, can we support this process, and continue to deliver the high standards expected from our clients working from our own home office?
Though the Office of National Statistics (ONS) predicted that over 40% of adults in work would expect flexitime and homeworking by 2020, seeing rises of 12.4% in the 5 years prior, nobody could have predicted the impact of Covid-19 and the huge increases we are seeing. And as local lockdowns and social distancing continue, evidence is building to show that homeworking is just as effective, if not more so, than commuting to an office environment, dependant on the job role naturally. Benefits include less travel time and costs for employees, reduced costs for meeting room bookings and smaller offices reducing overheads – so, with this many benefits for both employers and employees, how can the recruitment industry support their own teams to work successfully from home as part of this 61%?
1. Accessing networks and effective work devices
Investing in good quality laptops, cloud storage for your shared data, and tools such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams and equipment to create comfortable, effective workstations gives your team everything they need to perform from home.
Laptop stands, wrist supports, and a comfortable office chair and small desk can be tucked into most homes without much disruption and ensure that your employee is comfortable and able to work effectively – and communication between teams is easy with shared cloud storage, using software like Teams to share projects, tasks and documents, and video communication for meetings means that nobody feels isolated. Shared calendars and schedules will keep the team on track and allow everyone to keep up to date with what the whole team are achieving.
2. Dress professionally
Working from home is still working – so those video conferences require the same level of professionalism as in-person meetings – so no sweatpants, no pyjamas and no bed head!
Ensure that your team get dressed and ready to work and show up on screen the same way you would for the office.
3. Move and get outside
Working from home saves time on commuting – but it can easily mean people are at their computer for longer periods and aren’t moving enough; remind your team to take regular breaks, get up and stretch, move around and – ideally – leave the house daily for some fresh air and exercise. Not commuting can mean people get into a rut and feel isolated, so regularly remind your recruitment team to get some exercise and time away from their screens.
4. Set targets and goals
With everyone spread out it’s easy to lose track of who’s doing what – so book regular meetings and video calls to keep up with everyone (and for that all-important chit chat that makes us feel human!) and set lots of mini-goals and targets for both work and interaction.
At Cento we’ve utilised zoom heavily. We have our weekly calls with all of our team members who wish to work from home. We’ve been fortunate enough to have some brilliant clients who have excelled throughout COVID-19 and have happily accepted the virtual support we have been providing.
Working from home was sprung on a lot of us unexpectedly – but we can still deliver the best standards from our industry leading recruitment consultants, supporting employers and job seekers in this new world of employment, call 01509 615 290 today to discuss your needs!