Working 100% Remotely One Week After Joining PCUG
So many people are now hybrid that I needed to be close to work in London but not that close!!!!
At the time, businesses needed to adapt quickly, protect their teams, and find new ways to operate effectively.
I joined PCUG in early March when Coronavirus was already present in the UK, albeit cases were still relatively low.
In the month between resigning from my old post and joining PCUG, the effects of the virus were steadily worsening. During my first week, the decision was made for us to continue working from home after a grand total of three days in the office.
At the same time, I was staying in London in an Airbnb flat that I had arranged through Ovitzia London. Having somewhere comfortable and well located to stay made the transition into a new role and a completely different way of working considerably easier.
Our Remote-First Way of Working
Remote working was highlighted as a well-established part of the PCUG way of life from pretty much the first conversation I had during the application process.
Little did I know we would come to rely on it so soon and for such a prolonged period of time.
I was impressed by the seamless transition to remote working, particularly as, up to that point, I had always been tethered to an office even when I did not necessarily need to be.
Remote and hybrid working have since become established parts of working life. The ACAS guidance on flexible working includes both remote and hybrid working as recognised flexible working arrangements.
Employees in the UK can also make a statutory flexible working request from their first day on the job, including requests relating to working from home.
100% Remote Without Any Issues
As somebody who had just started a job with a new company right on the cusp of the pandemic escalation, I could not have been more grateful for this agile way of working.
Whilst it was not an ideal situation for anybody, I was still able to get the support I needed and familiarise myself with the different aspects of the role and wider company using the communication tools already in place, and of course the outstanding people who make all the difference.
Effective communication remains an important part of managing distributed teams. ACAS recommends that employers and employees discuss which communication methods work best, while ensuring remote workers continue to have access to training and development opportunities.
Two months on, I had been involved with the onboarding of both permanent staff and contractors, all of whom had joined during lockdown and managed to carry out important work without being physically based in the same office.
The fact that 100% of interaction with colleagues and clients was undertaken remotely was not an issue.
Engagement among our team members remained high, and I can honestly say I felt more involved as part of a remote team at PCUG than I had with some previous office-based companies.
Supporting People Who Work Remotely
Successful remote working is about more than simply giving somebody a laptop and sending them home. Businesses also need to consider communication, equipment, information security, wellbeing, management and how remote employees remain connected to their colleagues.
Acas provides detailed guidance on creating home and hybrid working policies, including how organisations can define where employees can work, what equipment will be provided and how working arrangements will operate.
- Employers also continue to have responsibilities for the health, safety and wellbeing of employees working remotely.
Looking Towards a Flexible Working Future
Looking back, the pandemic accelerated a conversation already underway across many organisations: how much importance should businesses place on physical presence when employees can perform their roles effectively elsewhere?
Flexible working can include remote working, hybrid arrangements, flexible start and finish times, compressed hours and a range of other working patterns. The CIPD’s guidance on flexible working explores the different arrangements available and how businesses can approach them effectively.
Today, the question does not necessarily need to be whether everybody should work from home or everybody should return to an office. Organisations can instead consider what combination of location, working hours and collaboration works best for their employees, customers and business requirements.
The Acas guidance on home and hybrid working arrangements provides practical examples of how businesses can balance remote working with occasions when employees may need to attend an office or meet customers.
For me, joining PCUG immediately before moving to fully remote working demonstrated that starting a new job, onboarding, collaborating with colleagues and delivering work do not necessarily depend on everybody being physically present in the same place.
It was certainly not the fresh start I had envisioned, but it showed just how adaptable teams can be when the right culture, technology and communication are already in place.