1. What are the benefits and disadvantages of remote working?
Giving employees the flexibility to work from places other than the office has revolutionised the way in which organisations operate. Employees are no longer confined to their desks and the four walls of an office from nine to five. Now, workers have the ability to work when and where they want. Cross sections of our society such as people with a young family, who may have previously found work too restrictive to manage with their everyday lives, are now working for themselves or for others from the comfort of their own home.
Buzzwords, such as hot-desking, are now key considerations for employers but how do these new ways of working impact on the modern workplace? For example, what happens if all those who normally work remotely decide to work from the office on the same day? How will they all be accommodated? Many of the organisations that we help to relocate now have to take these scenarios into consideration to ensure that the working day runs smoothly.
2. Are you getting asked increasingly by clients about DAAS?
Desktop As A Service is one of the many considerations that businesses are looking at to help modernise and streamline their operations. Core to these new ways of working is technology. Failure to have the right systems in place can have a detrimental impact on productivity and the job satisfaction of employees. Landlords, which are speculatively developing new build properties are now investing in technology to ensure their space is future-proofed to meet the needs of occupiers both now and also over the next five to ten years.
Businesses that can offer this flexibility will help attract and retain talent and lower staff turnover, especially those who can offer more agile work arrangements in comparison to their competitors.
There has been the stigma that employees allowed to work at home were not as productive or as committed. Having the right technology in place removes that barrier and ensures that work is streamlined and accountable.
3. What difference has DAAS/mobile working made to other organisations you’re aware of?
We advise businesses on the factors to consider when relocating and help understand what their priorities are such as location, refurbished building vs. new build and the factors in attracting new talent as well as cost. Mobile working has had a huge influence on all of these business decisions.
For example, some occupiers we work with are looking for less space in their next office as many of their employees work remotely. However, businesses are making a greater investment in the technological infrastructure of their office than they would have done, say a decade ago. And that trend is set to continue.
Businesses who invest correctly will reap the rewards of a more motivated, engaged and loyal workforce. We are also seeing employees are now being able to attract employees from a wider demographic and with that comes a wider range of skill-sets, which can only help businesses grow.
By James Dickinson, Director, Manchester-based commercial property consultancy, Canning O’Neill.
